Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned five matches and fined for drawing a red card and shoving a referee against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Ronaldo was only on the pitch for 24 minutes as a substitute during the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, but the forward, as he tends to do, made a huge impact. Ronaldo scored a brilliant goal in his side’s eventual 3-1 victory, but the Portuguese national was also sent off for accumulating two yellow cards in just under two minutes, one for excessive celebration by removing his shirt, and another for allegedly taking a dive.
After drawing the second booking, Ronaldo lightly shoved the referee in protest. For his total actions, the forward has received a five game ban—four for the shove and one for the red card—as well as a €3,805 (or approximately $4,483) fine from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Real Madrid's Upcoming Schedule
Date Competition Match Ronaldo’s Status Aug 16 Supercopa Real Madrid vs Barcelona Suspended Aug 20 La Liga Deportivo La Coruna vs Real Madrid Suspended Aug 26/27 La Liga Real Madrid vs Valencia Suspended Sep 9 La Liga Real Madrid vs Levante Suspended Sep 16/17 La Liga Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Suspended Sep 19/20 La Liga Real Madrid vs Real Betis Eligible for Return
In his official match report, referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea described the incident as such: "Player: Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro. Once the red card was shown, the player pushed me slightly in a sign of disagreement."
According to Article 96 of the RFEF disciplinary code, players that use “mild force” and grab, push or shake a referee are recommended to be suspended for as little as four and up to 12 matches. Red cards earn an automatic one game suspension.