UEFA have confirmed that Sergio Ramos will be facing a two-game suspension.
The first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 between Ajax and Real Madrid held at Johan Cruyff Arena was filled with full of controversies. The reigning champions were able to come away as victors at the end, thanks to goals from Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema.
During the first half, the hosts should have opened the scoring, but the referee decided to head to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) when none of the Los Blancos players appealed for the decision.
The hosts won the first header, but since a player was standing his ground rather than letting Thibaut Courtois collect the ball easily, the referee decided to overturn the goal to Real Madrid’s favour. Tagliafico headed the ball from close range, but it did not count.
Both the sides scored fairly, but there was a sting of surprise at the end. Dani Carvajal produced a peach of a delivery to find Marco Asensio, but there was a foul on Frenkie De Jong which the officiate failed to notice despite being just two yards away.
Even though it did not directly have an effect on the game, many referees would have stopped the play there. At the end of the game, the Dutch International De Jong said that the VAR will only help big teams, but not midget teams who strive to improve their European ranking.
En un partido son muchas tensiones, muchas sensaciones y muchas pulsaciones. Hay que tomar decisiones en segundos. Lo mejor de hoy es el resultado. Lo peor, no poder estar en la vuelta junto a mis compañeros por un lance del juego.
— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) February 13, 2019
Quiero dejar claro que me duele más que a nadie, que no he forzado la tarjeta, como tampoco lo hice contra la Roma en mi anterior partido de @ChampionsLeague, y que apoyaré desde la grada como un hincha más con la ilusión de poder estar en cuartos.#HalaMadrid https://t.co/zL0Heok5Vp
— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) February 13, 2019
During the 88th minute, Sergio Ramos received a yellow card for disputing with the striker Kasper Dolberg for nothing. After the game, the Spaniard confirmed that he received the yellow card deliberately in order to miss the second leg and enter the Quarterfinals without any yellow card.
During the post-match interview, Real Madrid skipper said “Looking at the result, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t force [the booking].
“It is not to underestimate the opponent nor to think that the series is over, but in football you have to make tough decisions,”
He backtracked soon after, however, and said: “I want to make it clear that it hurts more than anyone, I have not forced the card, as I did not against Roma in my previous Champions League match.”
Sergio Ramos has been given a two-game suspension by UEFA for deliberately getting himself booked against Ajax…pic.twitter.com/X6bfp6lKsb
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 28, 2019
BREAKING: UEFA issue Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos with two-match ban for deliberate yellow card in Champions League win over Ajax. #SSNhttps://t.co/Eb1dSt74a8 pic.twitter.com/MAAFkr8NJ1
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 28, 2019
For his comments on receiving the yellow card on purpose, he was charged by UEFA on February 27th. The very next day, the disciplinary committee of the European Federation confirmed that the Los Blancos Skipper will miss the next two games in the European competition.
As expected, the Spanish International will not be available for the second leg against Ajax and should Real Madrid qualify for the next round, their Captain will not be with his teammates on the pitch for the first leg.
