The most negative aspect of yesterday’s defeat was not losing the Copa del Rey against our eternal rivals, Barcelona, but rather the poor image the bench presented at the end of the match—especially Rüdiger, who completely lost control, throwing a bandage at the referee, insulting him, having to be restrained by many people, and still managing to break ice bags and cause more disruption.
At times, it genuinely seemed like he was about to ‘break free’ and head straight for the referee, with who knows what intentions—a behavior far from what is expected of a professional, and completely unacceptable for someone wearing the Real Madrid crest.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the club is going to take any action, as the institution itself fuels complaints about referees on a daily basis, without realizing these attitudes lead to such negative consequences. In the end, the situation resulted in three players being sent off: Rüdiger, Lucas Vázquez, and Jude Bellingham.
We’ll have to wait and see how many games of suspension each player will receive (which would apply to La Liga, initially), and in Rüdiger’s case, it will likely be several matches, meaning he will probably miss the upcoming league Clásico—and who knows if he’ll play another league match this season.
Aware of this (or possibly pressured by the club), Rüdiger issued a statement on social media apologizing to the referee and for his behavior—behavior that also ‘tainted’ what had been a brilliant performance from him. In fact, when he was substituted, the score was 2–2, and he left the field to a standing ovation from the fans. A real shame.
“There´s definitely no excuse for my behaviour last night. I´m very sorry for that. We played a very Good game from the 2nd half on –
After 111 minutes I was not able to help my team anymore and before the final whistle I did a mistake. Sorry again to the referee and to everyone I have disappointed last night.”– Antonio Rüdiger