Real Madrid’s lethal striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, has been suspended for five games after he was sent off in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup first leg on Sunday. He was given a one-match ban for being shown two yellow cards and a further four for pushing the referee in the back after he had been sent off.
The bookings at the Nou Camp were for taking off his shirt to celebrate his goal to make it 2-1 and for a dive. He will miss Wednesday’s second leg. Ronaldo, 32, will have 10 days to appeal. The Portugal international will be able to play in the Champions League but will not return to domestic action until 20 September against Real Betis.
While Ronaldo may be enjoying the bragging rights for now, the 5-match also attracts a fine of £2,700 – for pushing referee Ricardo de Burgos Bergoetxea after being shown a second yellow for an apparent dive. The Portuguese had been given his first warning only minutes earlier after removing his shirt to celebrate his goal and was then given his marching orders after going down under the challenge of Samuel Umtiti. Article 96 of the rulebook applies to players who ‘grab, push or shake’ a referee in a ‘slightly violent manner’ and recommends a four to 12 game suspension for such offences.
If the top striker is not successful with his appeal, it means he would miss the following critical games: Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona, which comes up on Wednesday August 16; La Liga games against Deportivo La Coruna on August 20; Valencia on August 27; Levante on September 9 and Real Sociedad on September 17.
From what was seen at the Spanish Super Cup, which landed Ronaldo into big trouble, it was obvious that Barcelona began life after Neymar with a 3-1 reverse against their greatest rival in La Liga.