Why Jude Bellingham will AVOID a La Liga ban despite Real Madrid star's Copa del Rey final red card - explained

The final was marred by Real Madrid's accusations towards referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in the days leading up to the Clasico at Estadio La Cartuja. The under-fire official had a largely incident-free game on Saturday as Barcelona beat Carlo Ancelotti's side 3-2 after extra time, but the night ended in chaos as three Real Madrid players were shown red cards around the full-time whistle, including Bellingham, who was sent off after the game. However, the England international is set to remain available for Los Blancos for the rest of the season.

Bellingham was shown a red card after the full-time whistle as he approached the referee in 'an aggressive attitude', as per the official match notes. However, there were no further details to strengthen the case against the English midfielder. As such, it is likely that the Spanish football federation will hand him a ban of two to three matches. This ban will not carry over into La Liga action as it is under the cap of four games, after which suspensions are applicable across tournaments.

This is not the first time that Bellingham has been accused of aggression and disrespect towards referees. Most recently, he was sent off for Real Madrid after he told an official to 'f*ck off' during a draw with Osasuna in February.

If the incident is treated to its minimum degree, Bellingham could get away with a two-game ban in domestic cup competitions. Nonetheless, his availability remains uncontested in La Liga as Real Madrid look to avoid going trophyless, with Barcelona four points clear of them at the top of the table.