Jude Bellingham hit with suspension by UEFA as England also fined at Euro 2024 | Football | Sport
Jude Bellingham has been hit with a UEFA suspension following his actions in the aftermath of his goal against Slovakia. However, the Real Madrid man is free to play in the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland, with the ban suspended for one year.
He has also been fined more than £25,000, while the English FA have also been hit with financial sanctions.
That follows the authority being charged over two counts of fan behaviour in Gelsenkirchen, after fans allegedly lit fireworks and caused crowd disturbances.
In a released statement, UEFA said it’s control, ethics and disciplinary body had taken the decision to “fine the English Football Association player Jude Bellingham €30,000 (£25,300) and to suspend him for a total of one UEFA competition match for which he would be otherwise eligible for violating the basic rules of decent conduct.”
They added: “Said suspension is not immediately enforced and is subject to a probationary period of one year, starting from the date of the present decision.”
The FA have been ordered to pay a combined total of £9,309.84. The authority are yet to publicly comment on the respective decisions.
While Gareth Southgate and fans of the Three Lions will breathe a sigh of relief that Bellingham will be available on Saturday, it does now leave him walking a disciplinary tightrope for the next 12 months. Any further breaches of ‘the basic rules of decent conduct’ will see him banned for England’s following game, regardless of whether it’s in Germany this summer.
After his dramatic injury time overhead kick had saved his country from a last-16 exit, Bellingham appeared to make an obscene gesture with his right hand as he walked back to halfway. The action appeared to be aimed at the opposition bench, but the plkayer himself later took to social media to offer an explanantion.
“An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game,” he wrote on X. “Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.”
His punishment is less severe than that of Turkey’s Merih Demiral, who appeared to make an ultra-nationalist salute after scoring during his country’s 2-1 victory against Austria. He has been hit with an immediate two match ban, meaning he won’t be available again at Euro 2024 unless Turkey make the final.
The development could have a bearing on England’s hopes. They play the Swiss at 5pm on Saturday, with Turkey then meeting Holland in Berlin (8pm kick-off), with the two winners meeting in the final four next Wednesday.
