Antonio Rudiger has issued an apology after being sent off for throwing an ice cube at the referee during Real Madrid's defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
Rudiger had been substituted and was on the bench when he and Real team-mate Lucas Vazquez were both shown straight red cards for reacting angrily to a foul given against Kylian Mbappe in extra-time shortly before the final whistle.
Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea said in his report that former the Chelsea defender was sent off for “throwing an object from the technical area, which missed me”.
Reports in Spain said the object thrown by Rudiger was an ice cube.
And the frustrations spilled over from the Real Madrid bench at the end! 😳
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) April 26, 2025
Antonio Rudiger has to be held back by his teammates as he tries to get to the referee 😬 pic.twitter.com/CKBtqnMje8
Rudiger is now now facing a lengthy ban for the incident at the end of the Copa del Rey final, which Barcelona won 3-2 thanks to a late goal in extra-time from Jules Kounde.
The Spanish Football Federation disciplinary code states that “mild violence" towards referees could result in a suspension of between four and 12 matches.
But if Rudiger’s actions are deemed more serious then he may be banned for three to six months if the incident is deemed an “assault against referees”.
If the act is deemed as having posed a "serious risk", even without the referee requiring medical attention, the suspension could extend to between six months and a year.
In a statement, Rudiger said: “There’s no excuse for my behaviour last night. I’m very sorry for that, sorry to the referee.
“We player a very good game from the 2nd half on. After 111 minutes, I was not able to help my team anymore and before the final whistle I did a mistake”.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham was also later sent off for dissent.
