Kylian Mbappe's Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham has already given Arsenal a glimpse as to the punishment the Frenchman could receive after an altercation with Atletico Madrid supporters in the Champions League round of 16.
Los Blancos won the clash against Atleti in dramatic circumstances as Julian Alvarez's penalty was ruled out in the shootout and Real took advantage to win 4-2. The victory sparked wild celebrations from the players as they ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with their supporters.
The away fans were situated in the top of the Metropolitano Stadium, meaning the players were celebrating directly in front of the home supporters. It appeared at the time that some players were goading the Atletico fans and UEFA have since confirmed they are investigating Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Ceballos and Vinicius Jnr for behaving in an indecent manner.
Footage has since circulated on social media of Mbappe performing a crotch-grabbing gesture in front of the Atletico fans during the celebrations. It has led many to suggest that he could be banned for at least one of the matches against Arsenal in the Champions League next month.
Those with a long memory will remember that Bellingham found himself in similar hot water last summer when he performed a similar gesture after equalising late on for England against Slovakia at Euro 2024. It was deemed the midfielder performed the gesture towards the Slovakian's bench and sparked angry scenes from their backroom staff.
UEFA investigated that matter too and decided that Bellingham would be allowed to play the quarter-final against Switzerland. However, he was handed a suspended one-match ban and forced to pay a fine of £25,400.
Should UEFA stick with this precedent, Mbappe would be able to feature against Arsenal despite appeals for him to be banned. However, the decision on Rudiger, Ceballos and Vinicius is less clear.
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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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