logo
logo
Ancelotti and Mbappe face an anxious wait.

Will Kylian Mbappe miss El Clasico? Full ban explained after Real Madrid red card

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe is set to spend a spell on the sidelines after receiving a red card for a horror tackle against Alaves at the weekend.

The World Cup winner is still in line to start against Arsenal- sorry, Gooners – in their crunch Champions League semi-final at The Bernabeu, with his upcoming suspension relating to domestic Spanish football only.

But could he miss Real Madrid’s upcoming Copa del Rey final against arch-rivals Barcelona? We’ve got you covered for all you need to know.

The incident

Real Madrid were one goal up in their must-win match away to relegation-battlers Alaves when Mbappe arrived late to a 50-50.

Only a few minutes prior, Eduardo Camavinga had put Los Blancos ahead, but their life was made more difficult after their top scorer was shown a straight red card in the 38th minute.

It’s unbelievable when you watch the incident back, but the referee originally only thought the challenge was worthy of a caution. But VAR intervened to send him to the monitor, whereby multiple angles revealed quick how dangerous the tackle was.

Mbappe could have no complaints when the yellow was upgraded to a red, given how high and late he caught Alaves midfielder Antonio Blanco.

“It’s one of the worst tackles we’ve seen this season” reacted commentator Terry Gibson on Premier Sports.

It’s impossible to know Mbappe’s intentions, but when you look at it in slow motion it almost appears that Mbappe is looking to catch the man rather than the ball.

“The fact that [Blanco] isn’t in the back of an ambulance going to the hospital with a snapped leg is sheer luck. That is an egotistical big head who thinks he can do what he wants,” responded ESPN pundit Craig Burley.

Blanco was magnanimous after the match, revealing that he received an apology from Madrid’s No.9 – which he accepted.

“It was a strong tackle, I spoke with Kylian, he apologised and there is no problem, these are actions that can happen in football.”

Alaves later had a player off themselves, evening things up, and Madrid battled to a 1-0 victory that keeps them on Barcelona’s coattails in the La Liga title race.

 Spain’s suspension rules

According to La Liga’s disciplinary guidelines, the usual suspension after a straight red card for such a challenge is two matches.

The rules state that if a tackle causes risk but does not produce a “harmful” outcome, such as resulting in the injury of an opponent, the suspension will be somewhere between one and three matches.

The fact that Blanco didn’t suffer a serious injury, as he’s arguably fortunate not to have, might work in mitigation for Mbappe’s case.

After the match, referee Cesar Soto Grado wrote in his match report that he sent Mbappe off for “a tackle with the foot in a studs-up position at the height of an opponent’s shin, in a contest for the ball, using excessive force”.

A decision on how many games Mbappe should be suspended for will be made imminently by the RFEF Committee.

“Mbappe will face Article 130 because he hasn’t removed the opponent from the field. It’s very clear,” commented former La Liga referee Iturralde Gonzalez on Spanish radio station Cadena SER.

“It is sanctioned with a suspension of one to two matches. For me, it will be two, and if they give him three, Real Madrid will appeal, and it should be two. He should always play in the Cup final.”

Which games will Mbappe miss?

While he’s free to play against Arsenal in midweek, we can safely assume that Mbappe will miss Madrid’s next two matches at least.

That could have a major bearing on the La Liga title race. They’re already four points behind league leaders Barcelona with just seven games remaining.

Mbappe will sit out next Sunday’s tricky test at home to fourth-place Athletic Bilbao – Ernesto Valverde’s men are on a seven-match unbeaten run, with just one goal conceded in their last five matches in all competitions.

He’ll also miss the trip to Getafe three days later. While they’re only in midtable, that’s another tough test – their manager Jose Bordalas has a reputation as the Spanish Sean Dyche, with Getafe infamously physical, defensively solid and competitive.

After the pair of league outings, Madrid then face high-flying Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville on Saturday, April 26th – the first El Clasico final in 11 years.

A suspension would also apply to the Spanish cup, leaving Madrid anxiously awaiting news of the decision. As mentioned above, in all likelihood they would appeal if he’s served a three-match ban, so this one could run.


READ NEXT: Every time Barcelona and Real Madrid have faced off in the Copa del Rey final

TRY A QUIZ: The ultimate El Clasico quiz: 30 tough questions on Real Madrid & Barcelona’s red-hot rivalry