Antonio Rudiger sent message from German FA as Real Madrid star faces enormous ban
Antonio Rudiger was sent off in Saturday's Copa del Rey final as Real Madrid saw their players struggle to contain their emotions with the defender throwing ice at the referee
Germany's sporting director has labelled Antonio Rudiger's actions as "unacceptable" after tensions erupted in Saturday's Copa del Rey final. Real Madrid were beaten by Barcelona before Rudiger was seen throwing ice at the referee.
Los Blancos have had their issues with the officials in Spain and were again frustrated with several decisions that were made. However the former Chelsea defender received a red card for throwing an ice pack towards Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in the final moments.
Barcelona scored a late winner in extra-time and, as Real grew frustrated with the referee, Rudiger threw an object in his direction and had to be restrained by Ferland Mendy as well as a Madrid staff member when the official came over to send him off.
Rudiger could now face a mammoth 12-match ban for his antics, which have been condemned by German great and now senior figure Rudi Voller. He serves as the national team's sporting director and has heavily criticised the defender's behaviour.
He said: "Toni is a great player, but as a national team player, he must also show class in his behaviour. He rightly demands respect for himself, but he must extend that same respect to others without exception. In this case, he and some teammates allowed themselves to be swept up by the extremely heated atmosphere that, inexplicably, often surrounds the club even before kickoff. That is unacceptable, particularly for a German international."
READ MORE: Jude Bellingham aims tunnel dig at officials in furious Real Madrid reactionREAD MORE: Antonio Rudiger faces huge ban after throwing OBJECT at referee in chaotic scenesRudiger has since apologised, but could still be hit with a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Spanish Football Federation disciplinary code states that "mild violence" towards the referee could result in a 12-game ban. He could also be banned for up to six months if his actions are deemed as "assault against referees".
The referee said in his post-match report that Rudiger was sent-off for: "throwing an object from the technical area, which missed me." He has since apologised for his actions as Real face the prospect of finishing the season without any silverware.
Rudiger wrote on social media: "There's definitely no excuse for my behaviour last night. I'm very sorry for that. We played a very good game from the 2nd half on - After 111 minutes I was not able to help my team anymore and before the final whistle I did a mistake. Sorry again to the referee and to everyone I have disappointed last night."
He was one of several Real players to be shown a red card. England's Jude Bellingham was sent-off after the final whistle for "approaching the referee aggressively" and needing "to be restrained by team-mates". A clip has gone viral on social media which shows the midfielder ranting: "Everything 50/50 goes their way, everything 50/50."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.