Some key Real Madrid stars are facing a nervy wait on the outcome of a UEFA investigation ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal. Following a 9-3 aggregate win over PSV, the Gunners advanced past the last-16 stage to set up a two-legged tie with the reigning European champions.
On the same night, Carlo Ancelotti's side beat local rivals Atletico Madrid in a controversial penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw across both legs. The first five spot-kicks all found the back of the net, but Julian Alvarez's was disallowed because of a double touch.
Misses from Lucas Vasquez and Marcos Llorente left it in the hands of Antonio Rudiger, with the former Chelsea man just squeezing his effort beyond Jan Oblak. Jubilant celebrations understandably followed for Madrid, but it was the actions of Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and ex-Arsenal man Dani Ceballos that caused a stir.
The tie-winner was captured doing a cut-throat gesture, with Vini Jr being investigated for confronting the Atletico supporters while Mbappe and Ceballos were said to have made offensive gestures, with the former having allegedly grabbed his genitals.
It has since been confirmed that an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector will 'investigate allegations of indecent conduct' by Madrid players, following complaints from Atletico.
Those four players all being suspended for the first leg against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium due to their actions is a possible punishment. Rudiger is perhaps the player most likely to be banned given the connotations associated with his gesture.
However, it may actually be Mbappe that faces the consequences of his actions after what punishment UEFA implemented on Diego Simeone five years ago for a similar gesture during a Champions League match against Juventus.
Instead of facing a touchline ban, however, the Atletico boss was only hit with a hefty fine and therefore that is the most plausible outcome for Mbappe.
Ancelotti recently spoke about the investigation, with it clear the Real Madrid boss believes they have done nothing wrong. "We trust UEFA, we believe everything was done correctly," he said at a press conference on Friday.
"The players celebrated, and we're waiting for UEFA to give us some feedback, but we're confident that everything will turn out well. We are confident in UEFA’s verdict as the players had just celebrated, that’s it."
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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