Real Madrid can rest easy ahead of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal as Rudiger and Kylian Mbappé will be able to play. The UEFA sanctions have been enforced and will only be financial, so they will be able to play in Tuesday’s game. Vinicius and Dani Ceballos have also been fined.
Real Madrid can breathe easy
21 days after the match against Atlético de Madrid, and just five days before the important match against Arsenal, UEFA has announced the sanctions against Rudiger, Mbappé, Vinicus and Ceballos, and in a relief for the Whites, who were not out of the woods yet, all their players will be able to play in the first leg on Tuesday at 21:00.
Although four players were under scrutiny, only Rudiger and Mbappé were at real risk of missing the game, but UEFA has decided to let the players off with a hefty fine.
After Real Madrid eliminated Atlético de Madrid in the penalty shoot-out, the Whites’ players went to celebrate the victory in front of the Atlético supporters, the most radical of the red and white team’s fans. During the celebration, UEFA identified these four players making gestures that go against the sporting order imposed by the European body and decided to investigate them for “indecent conduct”. UEFA announced two weeks after the match that the Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector appointed for the match had opened an investigation into the four Real Madrid players.
Sanctions for the Real Madrid players
The four players under investigation escaped a sporting sanction that could have cost them missing the crucial first leg against Arsenal, but they did not escape having to pay a hefty fine. Rudiger is the player who paid the most for his celebration, as he will have to pay a fine of 40,000 euros and will have to serve a one-match ban if he repeats the offense within the next year. In the case of Mbappé, the fine is slightly less, at 30,000 euros.
Vinicius Jr. and Ceballos have been luckier, as they will each have to pay a fine of 20,000 euros.
Real Madrid distrusted UEFA
At Real Madrid they were not entirely confident about UEFA’s decision. Although other similar cases had received the same sanction, the bad relations between the European football body and Real Madrid suggested a more severe decision towards the Whites’ footballers.
If Rudiger and Mbappé had been sanctioned with a match ban (they were the players who could really suffer this punishment), Carlo Ancelotti would have had a serious problem, especially in defense, as the lack of players and Alaba’s situation would have forced him to put Aurélien Tchouaméni in central defense and, consequently, would have generated a domino effect that would have disrupted the team in one of the most important matches of the season. Now that it has been confirmed that Rudiger will be available, the Frenchman will be able to play in midfield to give Real Madrid the balance they need in a match like this.
Real Madrid have therefore been spared a sanction that could have been decisive in the tie against Arsenal, but from now on, players will think twice before celebrating a win in this way, even if it is against one of their eternal rivals.