Before the international break, Real Madrid experienced a moment of elation as they managed to stay alive in their favourite competition, the Champions League. The Whites went through to the last sixteen with a Madrid derby against Atlético de Madrid. In the first leg they took a slight lead by beating Cholo Simeone’s side 2-1, leaving everything to be decided at the Metropolitano.
The Metropolitano duel was settled with the Whites’ pass, but not without controversy. The Colchoneros equalized the tie 30 seconds into the game. A tie that was not broken in regulation time or in extra time and had to go to a controversial penalty shootout where Rüdiger decided after a controversial penalty by Julián Álvarez was disallowed for touching the ball with both feet.
A win that sparked euphoria in Real Madrid and that could now have consequences for some of its players. UEFA has announced that it will begin an investigation into a possible breach of UEFA Disciplinary Regulations by Real Madrid players for their celebration at the Metropolitano.
The players in question are Rüdiger, Mbappé, Ceballos and Vinicius, as explained by UEFA itself. In the case of Rüdiger, the gesture of putting his hand on his neck is being investigated, in the case of Mbappé the touch on his genitals and in the case of Vinicius, a confrontation with the stands. And Ceballos, who did not play because he was injured, for his attitudes towards the stands.
This is the statement from UEFA: “A UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of misconduct by Real Madrid CF players (Antonio Rüdiger, Kylian Mbappé, Daniel Ceballos and Vinícius Júnior) during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between Club Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid CF on March 12, 2025.”
The key to the possible sanctions lies in article 15, which deals with possible sanctions for players and coaches. And it states that “unsportsmanlike conduct” and “provoking spectators” can be grounds for a match sanction. So the four players are facing a minimum of one match.
There is precisely a precedent related to Atleti that could reduce the sanction to a financial fine. In 2019, UEFA fined Simeone 20,000 euros but spared him from suspension for the gesture of touching his testicles in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Juventus of Turin.