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Jude Bellingham will reportedly be fined but avoid a ban for his sexual gesture following his spectacular goal against Slovakia, leaving him available for England’s quarter-final with Switzerland on Saturday.
Bellingham, 21, was seen making an apparently rude gesture in the direction of the Slovak bench after scoring a 95th-minute overhead kick to keep England’s Euro 2024 hopes alive.
Harry Kane scored the winner in extra time to book England’s place in the quarter-finals, but UEFA subsequently launched an investigation into Bellingham’s conduct.
Bellingham’s ban is a possible penalty, but he is meant to avoid a suspension and could instead receive a five-figure fine, according to Image.
After Sunday’s game, Bellingham told X that he had not intended to offend anyone with his gesture.
Jude Bellingham appeared to make an erotic gesture towards the Slovak bench after scoring for England on Sunday
Bellingham is expected to be fined rather than banned, leaving him available to play in England’s quarter-final against Switzerland.
Bellingham avoiding a ban would be a welcome boost for Gareth Southgate ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final
He wrote: “A joke towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how the Slovakia team played tonight.”
This statement could help his cause to avoid a ban as while the gesture could be considered unsportsmanlike, it could be difficult to prove it was directed specifically at someone, while Slovakia has also opted not to press charges.
Bellingham was seen making a similar gesture after scoring the last-minute winner for Real Madrid against Barcelona last season. On that occasion, he was not investigated.
Bild also notes that Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a comparable rude gesture during his heroic performance in the penalty shoot-out at the 2022 World Cup final and got away with a fine.
However, UEFA has already banned one player for Euro 2024. Albania striker Mirlind Daku was suspended for two matches after fans chanted “fuck Macedonia” and “fuck the Serbs” while holding a megaphone following his side’s 2-2 draw with Croatia in the group stage.
The governing body issued a statement to explain its decision which confirmed that Daku had been banned “for using sporting events for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute”.
They are now conducting a separate investigation into Turkish defender Merih Demiral’s goal celebration.
The 26-year-old scored twice in Turkey’s 2-1 win over Austria on Tuesday and reportedly performed a “wolf salute” linked to the Grey Wolves, a far-right extremist group in Turkey.
UEFA has handed Mirlind Daku a two-match ban for leading chants of “fuck the Serbs”
Turkish defender Merih Demiral is under investigation by UEFA and could face a suspension for allegedly making a gesture linked to the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves.
The Grey Wolves, officially called Ulku Ocaklari, are the youth movement of the Nationalist Movement Party, which is in coalition with the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The investigation is currently ongoing and it is not yet clear whether Demiral will be suspended for Turkey’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands on Saturday.
Bellingham avoiding suspension would be a huge boost for Gareth Southgate, allowing him to pick his talisman against Switzerland this weekend.
The attacking midfielder has been criticised for some of his performances in Germany but has still featured at two crucial moments, scoring England’s winner in their opening game against Serbia before sparking his side’s comeback when they looked set for a shock defeat to Slovakia.
He has yet to find his best form at Euro 2024 but could get the chance to shine in a new formation on Saturday as Southgate considers switching to a back three.
This could see England adopt a 3-4-2-1 system to face Switzerland, which could give Bellingham more freedom to play as one of two attacking midfielders behind captain Harry Kane.
