Jude Bellingham is expected to avoid punishment from UEFA after he appeared to make a lewd gesture towards the Slovakia bench following his overhead-kick equalising goal for England.
Bellingham scored a last-minute equaliser to force the game into extra time, with Harry Kane then netting the winning goal to set up a quarter-final tie against Switzerland on Saturday.
Bellingham appeared to follow his 95th-minute strike in Gelsenkirchen by making a lewd gesture in the direction of Slovakia’s bench.
According to the laws of the game, any “obscene gesture” or “offensive or insulting action” should be punishable by a red card.
Bellingham later claimed on social media that it was an “inside joke gesture” towards his close friends who were at the game. “Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight,” he added.
🥱❌- An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.🤝🏽 https://t.co/H8sETMkPoi
— Jude Bellingham (@BellinghamJude) June 30, 2024
UEFA will review all incidents but the expectation is that Bellingham is unlikely to be punished for the gesture that was intended as a joke, with Declan Rice also set to avoid any retrospective action for his post-match altercation with Francesco Calzona, the Slovakia manager.
Rice was pushed in the chest by Calzona after the Slovakia boss approached Umat Meler, the referee, at full-time.
Rice appeared ready to shake Calzone’s hand but reacted when the opposition manager shoved him and the Arsenal midfielder looked as though he was going to push him back.
Ivan Toney then led Rice away as another member of the opposition’s coaching staff confronted him. Aaron Ramsdale, England’s second-choice goalkeeper, also arrived on the scene to diffuse the situation.
GO DEEPER
Jude Bellingham – who else?
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
