Bale faces potential suspension in La Liga

Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale is facing a potential suspension in La Liga after the Spanish competition decided to look into his celebration during the past Madrid Derby at the Wanda Metropolitano. The ban could be as short as one game or as long as 12 games, or he could not be punished at all, depending on how La Liga rules.

Bale scored Madrid’s third goal and then flipped off the fans —the gesture is not exactly the same but the equivalent in Spain, called a ‘corte de mangas’. The committee will have to decide if Bale was taunting the fans with his celebration. According to ESPN, “if the response to the gesture produces ‘animosity’ among the fans, the player should receive a ban of between four and 12 games. If not, then a one-to-three game ban should be imposed.”

Many players escape this kind of suspensions even when they perform similar gestures after scoring, but Bale did not go unnoticed and might have to miss a few games.

It’s important to note that the referee did not write anything related to this incident in his match report, meaning that La Liga decided to look into it on their own initiative, something quite surprising given that it did not cause any major concern during or after the game.