Was taking out his frustration on the refree called for? Was it necessary? Did Ronaldo take it too far?
Cristiano Ronaldo could be suspended for as many as 12 matches after referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea included the Real Madrid star’s shove in his match report.
After scoring and removing his shirt to earn a yellow card in the Spanish Super Cup first leg against Barcelona, Ronaldo was shown a second yellow card for an alleged dive in the box just minutes later, prompting him to momentarily lose his cool and shove the referee.
The shove could trigger a ban of up to 12 matches under Article 96 of the Spanish federation’s rule book, which deals with “Slight violence towards referees”.
Article 96 applies to players who “grab, push or shake” a referee in a manner that is “slightly violent”, and recommends a suspension of 4-12 matches for the action.
Ronaldo’s fate is now in the hands of the Spanish federation’s competition committee, who will decide how many games the 32-year-old would be forced to sit out in addition to the one-game ban stemming from his red card.
