MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger was handed a six-game ban Tuesday for his conduct toward a referee during the team’s loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
Rüdiger shouted at the referee and seemed to throw a small bag of ice during extra time in Madrid’s 3-2 loss to Barcelona on Saturday.
The disciplinary committee of the Spanish football federation said Rüdiger’s ban was for “minor violence” toward the officials.
Another Madrid player, Lucas Vazquez, was handed a two-match suspension because of his protest toward the match officials.
Rüdiger has since apologized for his behavior but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call Sunday for the defender to be left out of Germany’s squad for the Nations League final four in June.
The 32-year-old Rüdiger successfully underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in his left knee on Tuesday and will begin “his recovery process shortly.” The club did not give a timeline for his return but the recovery is expected to take several weeks.
Rüdiger said surgery was “unavoidable” after playing through “severe pain.”
“Now I'm finally pain-free again, and the surgery was a success,” he said on Instagram in a post that included photos of him in the hospital after the surgery, one in bed and another in a wheelchair while holding crutches.
“I want to be able to play again as soon as possible as two big tournaments with the Nations League and the Club World Cup are in front of me, but I have to look from week to week now and we will see. I will do everything I can to make it happen.”
Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4. Madrid's first game at the Club World Cup in the United States is on June 18.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
