Atletico Madrid star hit with huge ban for insulting referee after being sent off against Getafe as Diego Simeone suffers blow in La Liga title bid

Diego Simeone's La Liga ambitions have suffered a major setback after Atletico Madrid forward Angel Correa was handed a five-game ban by the Disciplinary Committee for insulting referee Cuadra Fernandez following his red card in last weekend's 2-1 loss to Getafe.

Correa will now be suspended for a total of five games, four for violating the disciplinary rules and one for the red card he received for his tackle on Djene Dakonam. According to Mundo Deportivo, Correa's four-game ban comes under Article 99 of the Disciplinary Code, which states that insulting a referee or other officials can lead to a suspension of four to twelve matches.

In Correa’s case, the minimum four-game suspension applies as there were no previous cases this season to warrant a longer ban. This rule is in place to punish players for using offensive language or behavior towards referees, unless the incident is deemed more serious.

According to the referee's report from the Getafe game, Correa directed offensive insults at the referee, including "Sons of b***hes, coward. Son of a b**ch" (as quoted by Mundo Deportivo).

The Argentine forward is now set to miss this weekend's La Liga encounter against Barcelona. Additionally, he will also miss the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Hansi Flick's men on April 2, along with the league games against Espanyol, Sevilla, and Real Valladolid.