Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended to a three La Liga matches ban by the Competition Committee, following his red card against Athletic Bilbao.
If the sanction had been for four or more games, the Portuguese would have missed the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Atletico Madrid, but with this scenario the ban will only affect his participation in the league.
Thus, Carlo Ancelotti will miss the Ballon d’Or winner for the clashes against Villarreal, Getafe and Elche.
Real Madrid tried to appeal the red card, claiming the referee made a mistake in the match report. The club stated Ronaldo was provoked by Gurpegui when the ball was in play, while the referee wrote he “attacked Gurpegui when the ball was not in play.” Moreover, Ayza Gamez also wrote Ronaldo made a gesture to the assistant referee, but the pictures show this assistant was not even close to Ronaldo.
In the last minute, Ayza Gamez was called by the Competition Committee and he changed his version, claiming he showed Ronaldo the red card for his dispute with Ander Iturraspe. Real Madrid were given a deadline to make a new appeal, but finally the expected three-match ban was confirmed.
