Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger is facing a lengthy suspension after he threw ice at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea during his team’s Copa del Rey final loss to Barcelona on Saturday night.
Barcelona secured a 3-2 win over Madrid thanks to Jules Kounde’s extra-time goal.
Following Kounde’s decisive strike, emotions flared on the Madrid bench in the final moments of the match.
Rudiger attempted to confront referee De Burgos Bengoetxea, with teammates Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Junior storming onto the field and angrily gesturing at the official. Shortly after, Rudiger hurled an ice cube from the sidelines — just a few metres away from where Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was standing — towards the pitch.
De Burgos Bengoetxea responded by approaching the touchline and issuing red cards to both Vazquez and Rudiger. Rudiger then tried to approach the referee in anger.
Several individuals, including Madrid players Ferland Mendy and Jesus Vallejo, intervened to restrain him and eventually led him away from the technical area.
In his official match report to the Spanish Football Federation, De Burgos Bengoetxea noted that the player had thrown “an object which missed me.” Additionally, Jude Bellingham received a red card after the final whistle for displaying “an aggressive attitude” toward the match officials.
