In the previous match where England defeated Slovakia 2-1, English star Bellingham made an indecent gesture, leading to an investigation by UEFA and now potentially facing a suspension.
There have been precedents in football history for such sanctions. Most notably, Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended for one game by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation after making a similar gesture to fans during a Saudi league match. In 2019, Ronaldo responded to Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone’s indecent gesture with one of his own. While both avoided suspension, they were each fined €20,000.
UEFA issued a statement regarding the incident: “The UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been instructed to conduct an investigation into the alleged breach of the basic rules of conduct by England player Jude Bellingham during this match.”
Bellingham now risks missing the match against Switzerland if suspended.