Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal could face a UEFA ban following his half-time altercation with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka during their Champions League defeat.
The injured Real star was seen in the tunnel area at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, confronting Saka and raising his hands as the Arsenal winger headed to the dressing rooms.
Carvajal placed his hand on the back of Saka’s neck, leading to a swift intervention from staff members from both sides, including Arsenal substitute Ben White. Spanish publication Marca have since reported that Carvajal was upset over what he perceived as a ‘disrespectful’ Panenka penalty attempt by Saka, which was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Despite Saka’s missed penalty, Arsenal comfortably held onto their 3-0 lead from the first leg, progressing to a semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain thanks to a 5-1 aggregate victory.
Saka redeemed his penalty miss with a superb finish in the second half, putting the Gunners ahead on the night. However, after Vinicius Jr capitalised on a mistake by William Saliba to quickly level the score, Gabriel Martinelli broke free to secure a victory for the visitors in injury-time.
Carvajal, who famously netted a Panenka for Spain in the Nations League final shootout victory over Croatia in 2023, has been out of action since October due to an ACL injury. He watched the match from the Bernabeu stands before making his way to the pitch at half-time.
As he was a spectator and not part of the squad, Carvajal was not allowed to be in the technical area during the match, thus violating UEFA rules by going there at half-time.
He could now potentially face a UEFA ban similar to the one given to former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso. The now Bayer Leverkusen boss ran from the stands and down the touchline to celebrate his team’s Champions League triumph over Atletico Madrid in the 2014 final.
Alonso was suspended from the showpiece event and therefore not allowed to go pitchside. He was subsequently banned for Real’s UEFA Super Cup final against Sevilla at the start of the next season.
