At the end of the Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, three Real Madrid players - Antonio Rüdiger, Jude Bellingham, and Lucas Vázquez - were expelled by referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea due to incidents that occurred in the final minutes and after the final whistle.

Referee report and possible sanctions for Rüdiger

In a match ending full of tension, Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger was expelled after throwing an ice pack at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea during the Copa del Rey final against FC Barcelona.

The incident occurred in added time of extra time, when the referee signaled a foul by Kylian Mbappé on Eric García, nullifying a Real Madrid attack. Rüdiger, who had already been substituted and was on the bench with ice packs on his knees, reacted by throwing one of them at the referee, without hitting him.

Referee report:

  • In the 120th minute, the player (22) Rüdiger, Antonio was expelled for the following reason: For throwing an object from the technical area without hitting me. After being shown the red card, he had to be restrained by several members of the technical staff, showing an aggressive attitude.

Possible sanction:

"According to Article 101 of the RFEF Disciplinary Code, Rüdiger's action could be considered as an attempted aggression, with a sanction ranging between 4 and 12 matches. This suspension would apply in national competitions, including LaLiga"

The intervention of several teammates was necessary to contain the player, who showed an aggressive attitude after the expulsion. He faces a serious sanction, framed in articles 100 or 101 of the RFEF Disciplinary Code, related to coercion or mild violence towards referees.

The expected sanction is between 4 and 12 matches, depending on the interpretation of the referee report and the severity determined by the Competition Committee. This sanction, being classified as serious, would be served in official matches, including LaLiga.

In addition to Rüdiger, two other Real Madrid players were expelled: Bellingham and Lucas Vázquez.

Possible sanction for Jude Bellingham

Once the match ended, he went towards the position of the referees in an aggressive attitude, having to be restrained by his teammates. His case, along with that of Lucas Vázquez, is considered mild and could be framed in article 124 of the Disciplinary Code, which sanctions attitudes of contempt or disregard towards referees.

Referee report:

  • In the 99th minute, the player (5) Bellingham, Jude Victor William was expelled for the following reason: Once the match ended, he went towards our position in an aggressive attitude, having to be restrained by his teammates.

Possible sanction:

"The estimated sanction for Bellingham would be 2 to 3 matches or up to a month of suspension, although the most likely is that it will be two matches, to be served in the next edition of the Copa del Rey"

Possible sanction for Lucas Vázquez

He was expelled for protesting a referee decision, entering several meters onto the field and making gestures of disagreement.

Referee report:

  • In the 120th minute, the player (17) Vázquez Iglesias, Lucas was expelled for the following reason: For protesting one of our decisions, entering several meters onto the field, making gestures of disagreement.

Possible sanction:

"The sanction is expected to be mild, with a suspension of 2 matches in the Copa del Rey, according to article 124 of the Disciplinary Code"

Reactions and consequences

Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, avoided commenting on the incident in the press conference after the match. The RFEF has confirmed that the images and the referee report will be reviewed to determine the corresponding sanctions.