Alex Kirkland
Rodrigo Fuzz
April 29, 2025, 03:13 PM ET
Real Madrid’s Antonio Lie Digger was banned for six games after winning a red card to Barcelona in the final defeat of the team’s 3-2 Copa del Rey Rey.
Ludiger, Bellingham and Lucas Vazquez also have a two-game ban, but were all rejected at the end of Madrid’s extra loss as the team reacted angerously to the decision of umpire Ricardo de Burgos Benguetoxa.
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In his report, De Burgos said that the already replaced Rudiger was kicked out in 120 minutes to “throw things out of the technical field” and “has to be restrained by various members of the coaching staff and has a positive attitude.”
Already withdrawn from the match, Vasquez was rejected to “enter the field of play” when protesting the decision of officials, but Bellingham was carded after the final whistle, “getting closer to our position with an offensive attitude that “teammates must be held back.”
On Tuesday, the Spanish Football Federation’s Disciplinary Committee ruled that Ludiger would serve as a six-game ban and Vasquez was given two-game ban.
“I definitely have no excuses for my actions,” Rudiger told social media on Sunday. “Sorry… 111 minutes later, I can no longer help the team. I made a mistake before the final whi. I’m sorry again to the referee and everyone who I’ve been disappointed.”
Antonio Rudiger had to be restrained by his Real Madrid teammates as he protested a decision from the umpire during the Copa del Rey Finals. Through Jose Luis Contreras/Dachshund Image/Nulphoto Getty Image
Rudiger has since undergone knee surgery, and sources have told him he has been absent from ESPN for up to two months, excluding questions about participating in the Club World Cup this summer for the rest of the Lariga season.
After hearing Real Madrid’s argument, the Disciplinary Committee found that the video evidence “showed a different reality than what was reflected in the referee’s report on Bellingham, and found no evidence that “aggressive attitude” or teammates had hampered him.
In other words, the report has a “materials, manifest error,” which overturned Bellingham’s red card.
In the case of Rüdiger, the committee rejected Madrid’s claim that the player’s “voluntary regret” should be considered when deciding on his punishment, and his social media posts determined that this evidence was insufficient.
Madrid was eliminated from the Champions League on the quarterfinal stage earlier this month, putting pressure on the Copa del Rey Finals, which kicked Barcelona in the Lariga title race.
The game was played in a tense atmosphere after Madrid refused to attend pre-match press conferences, training and official photo shoots of protests.
The club said authorities demonstrated “hospitality and hostility” towards the team when answering questions about videos critical of the referees broadcast on Real Madrid Television.
