Jude Bellingham‘s ‘inside joke’ could result in him missing England’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland.
The Real Madrid star was England’s saviour in the round of 16 as he scored a spectacular equaliser in the 95th minute against Slovakia.
England went on to beat Slovakia 2-1 after extra time thanks to a headed winner by captain Harry Kane.
But Bellingham landed himself in hot water after performing an X-rated gesture, seemingly aimed at one of the benches, while celebrating his special goal.
The 21-year-old was seen moving his right hand from his face towards his groin, before thrusting it back and forth while staring towards the sidelines.
Jude Bellingham (right) could be in trouble following a gesture he made on Sunday evening
The gesture was made shortly after Bellingham had scored a stunning goal against Slovakia
This was perceived by many to be an offensive gesture aimed at the Slovakian bench.
However, Bellingham later explained via social media that it was: ‘An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game.’
He added: ‘Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.’
Despite Bellingham’s explanation, Portuguese newspaper A Bola has reported that UEFA may consider the act worthy of a one-match ban.
Such a punishment would be a big blow to Gareth Southgate and his England side, who have only scored four goals in four games at this summer’s Euros – with Bellingham netting two of those.
It is not the first time the gesture has been made by an individual in football. Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone made an apology after a similar gesture in the Champions League in 2019, when his side beat Juventus.
His ‘cojones’ gesture was then mimicked by Cristiano Ronaldo in the return leg, as the Italian club produced an incredible comeback to win 3-2 on aggregate.
However, the Portuguese star escaped a ban, and was instead fined €20,000 for ‘improper conduct’ by UEFA.
England star Bellingham was presented with a Player of the Match award in Gelsenkirchen
But Bellingham could potentially miss England’s next match if UEFA decides to ban him
Gareth Southgate will be desperately hoping to have Bellingham available against Switzerland
Bellingham didn’t provide the only flashpoint of an ill-tempered match – which saw referee Halil Umut Meler dish out nine yellow cards.
Full-time saw Declan Rice and Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona were involved in a fracas after the England midfielder was shoved.
Rice did not hold back when speaking to the head coach and could be seen blasting expletives at the 55-year-old, as exclusively revealed by Mail Sport.
Expert lipreader Jeremy Freeman told Mail Sport that during the altercation, a furious Rice said: ‘Shut up, p***y, oi, shut up, you bald ****.’
Cristiano Ronaldo was fined by UEFA for a similar gesture in 2019, but escaped a suspension
Calzona later revealed that he wanted to speak to the officials at full-time to complain about their failure to punish England’s time-wasting tactics during extra time.
‘Rice was supposed to go to the referees and leave,’ Calzona said. ‘I had to speak to the refs and he wasn’t leaving.’
England already have one suspension concern, with Marc Guehi unavailable for their clash in the next round after picking up a booking early on in Gelsenkirchen.
It was the Crystal Palace defender’s second of the tournament – after being booked in the 0-0 draw with Slovenia – meaning he will miss the clash on July 6.
With or without Bellingham, England will start Saturday’s quarter-final against Switzerland as favourites, at least among the bookmakers.
However, the Three Lions will likely need to produce their best performance of the tournament so far to overcome an impressive outfit that knocked out Italy in the round of 16.
