According to Spanish media outlet Marca Sports, following the UEFA ban of one match each for Rodri and Morata, after consultations with both players and their respective lawyers, the Spanish Football Federation has decided to accept the punishment without appealing.
After Spain’s victory in the European Championship, Morata exclaimed during the celebration ceremony, “The European Championship belongs to Spain, Gibraltar also belongs to Spain,” and was subsequently joined by Rodri.
Following the widespread circulation of this video online, it sparked significant controversy. UEFA initiated a disciplinary investigation and ultimately concluded that Rodri and Morata had violated basic standards of conduct, damaging the reputation of football and UEFA. As a result, both were handed one-match bans, meaning they will miss Spain’s Nations League match against Serbia on September 5th.
After receiving the ban from UEFA, the legal department of the Spanish Football Federation held consultations with the players’ lawyers, and together they made the decision not to appeal.
Notably, Morata has just suffered an injury and is expected to be out for three weeks, making it highly unlikely he will be included in the new roster for Spain, thus rendering an appeal entirely unnecessary. Meanwhile, Rodri is still recovering his form, and if selected, after missing the match against Serbia, Rodri will be available for the subsequent match against Switzerland on September 9th.