Champions League: UEFA sanctions Real Madrid | OneFootball

Champions League: UEFA sanctions Real Madrid

UEFA has imposed a double sanction on Real Madrid in the past few hours.

The latest European night for Real Madrid in Lisbon against Benfica left its mark. Furious after a 4-2 defeat, the Madrid club stumbled and has now been hit with a double punishment from UEFA.

The first sanction is collective. UEFA has fined Real Madrid 40,000 euros for entering the Estadio da Luz pitch too late. This delay was far from trivial, as this final group stage match of the Champions League was played with a strictly unified kick-off time at 9 p.m. The delayed start was deemed to be in violation of the rules, and the European governing body reiterated its zero-tolerance policy for such breaches. The club also received a warning regarding sporting conduct. Álvaro Arbeloa was singled out as directly responsible for the delay and has received an official warning.

The second sanction concerns Rodrygo. The Real Madrid winger has been suspended for two matches following his late-game sending off. The Brazilian, already under pressure, was shown a red card for making comments deemed insulting towards referee Davide Massa.