Sergio Ramos facing a minimum 5-match ban for abusing ref

As if things weren’t already going bad for Real Madrid this season, it has emerged that defender Sergio Ramos could be facing a potential 5 match ban for verbally abusing the referee following Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Ramos was shown a second yellow card following a dangerous tackle on Celta Vigo’s Augusto Fernandez in the second half, and is alleged to have used abusing and threatening language towards the referee Miguel Angel Ayza Gomez, who mentioned the incident in his post match report.

“As soon as he was shown the second yellow card, Real Madrid’s No. 4, Sergio Ramos Garcia, addressed my person in the following terms: ‘You are a shameless scoundrel (sinverguenza),’ repeating that phrase three times and saying ‘You have spent the whole f***ng day f****ng us’, repeating that phrase twice,” the report read. “Later, when he arrived at the bench, he addressed the assistant referee in the following terms: ‘Always the same. What shameless scoundrels you are’, repeating this phrase twice.”

As per the Spanish League’s disciplinary code, “insulting, offending or showing an offensive attitude towards the referee & is punishable by a suspension of between four and 12 games.”

Since Ramos already faces a 1 game ban due to the red card, the minimum punishment he could face would be 5 games, meaning he would be missing the following games: 3 in La Liga against Osasuna, Getafe and Valencia, and both Copa del Rey quarter-final legs against Valencia.

Ramos did make amends of sort with an apology on Twitter. “I regret the incident with the ref. These are moments of tension produced by my sending off,” he wrote. “We say things that afterwards we are sorry for.”

It still remains to be seen whether the apology will be enough. Whatever the outcome of this saga, it’s a worry Jose Mourinho could have done without.

Update: Ban Confirmed: The Spanish Football federation (RFEF) has confirmed the 5-match ban for Sergio Ramos. Ramos will now miss the La Liga games against Osasuna, Getafe and Valencia, and both Copa del Rey quarter-final legs against Valencia.