Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has apologised following his furious reaction during Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, where he was sent off for hurling an object at the referee.
The incident, with the teams having played deep into extra time, came after the referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea had given a foul against Kylian Mbappe for a challenge on Eric Garcia, moments after Jules Koundé’s goal for Barcelona had proved to be the winner.
As Real Madrid became more desperate for an equalizer, tempers frayed, and Rudiger — a substitute at that point — threw bags of ice in the referee’s direction, needing team personnel to restrain him.
“There definitely is no justification for my actions the other night. I’m very sorry for that,” Rudiger wrote on social after the game, apologising to the referee and the fans.
Teammates Lucas Vazquez and Jude Bellingham were also dismissed after the final whistle for their roles in the spat, but Rudiger faces the strongest punishment. Under Spanish FA guidelines, he may now face a ban of between four and 12 games in all domestic competitions.
Now, all Real Madrid has left is La Liga and they sit four points behind Barcelona with five games remaining.
