Antonio Rudiger Now Facing Enormous Ban After Copa del Rey Final Red Card

Antonio Rudiger is facing the prospect of a lengthy ban after losing his head with referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea towards the end of Real Madrid’s 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.

Tensions were already running high prior to Saturday night’s final. An emotional De Burgos Bengoetxea broke down in tears during a pre-match conference due to pressure placed on him by Real Madrid TV.

The Spanish match official ended up showing three Real Madrid players red cards on account of their conduct in the closing stages of Saturday night’s final at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville. As well as Rudiger, Lucas Vazquez and England international Jude Bellingham were also red-carded.

But it’s Rudiger who faces the longest ban for his behaviour shortly after Jules Kounde had given Barcelona a 3-2 lead in the 116th minute. Kounde’s last-gasp goal won the game for Barca, who took the lead through Pedri in the 28th minute and then equalised through Ferran Torres in the 84th minute after second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni had put Real Madrid 2-1 up.

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German defender lost his head with the referee

Dramatic footage showed Rudiger throwing an object (believed to have been ice) towards the referee after a late decision went in Barcelona’s favour. The Germany international, 32, then had to be restrained by teammates and Real Madrid’s coaching staff to prevent him from getting into further trouble. Watch the footage below:

Additional footage has emerged which appears to show Rudiger attempting to throw two bags of ice at the referee. Watch the clip below:

Referee's Report - And Rudiger's Potential Ban Length

De Burgos Bengoetxea confirms Rudiger's actions

In his post-match report to the Spanish Football Federation, per The Metro, De Burgos Bengoetxea confirmed Rudiger had thrown an object in his direction. The report reads:

“In the 120th minute, player (22) Rudiger, Antonio, was sent off for the following reason: For throwing an object from the technical area, which missed me. After being shown the red card, he had to be restrained by several members of the coaching staff, displaying an aggressive attitude."

“In the 120th minute, player (17) Vazquez Iglesias, Lucas, was sent off for the following reason: For protesting one of our decisions, entering the field of play for several meters, making gestures of disagreement.

“In the 999th minute [after the match], player (5) Bellingham, Jude Victor William, was sent off for the following reason: After the end of the match, he approached our position in an aggressive attitude, having to be restrained by his teammates.”

According to Spanish outlet Cadena SER, Rudiger is now facing the prospect of a ban in the length of anywhere between a relatively modest four games, up to a possible 12 matches. This means there’s now a chance that Rudiger will be banned from playing for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

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