Real Madrid’s Spanish defender Sergio Ramos was handed a 5 match ban last week and the Spanish Federation of Football’s Appeals Committee have dismissed Madrid’s appeal against the five game ban Sergio Ramos received during their last 16, second leg Copa del Rey clash with Celta Vigo.
The defender was penalised for calling referee Ayza Gámez “shameless”. The player still has three games left to sit out until he has completed his punishment. One in the same competition – against Valencia, and two in La Liga; again, against Valencia and also Getafe’s visit to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid’s argument was that the second yellow card received by Ramos for a tackle on Augusto Fernandez and the consequent insults to the referee only deserved one sanction (as it was part of the same act) – not the two that he did receive. (The one game expulsion for the red card and four match ban for the insults).
The Appeal Committee’s resolution states that the absolute minimum in Article 94 of the RFEF Disciplinary Code for insulting the referee is a four game ban.
There are also precedents that were used in their response, namely Espanyol’s Sergio Garcia’s insults to Carlos Del Cerro Grande, which earned him a 4 match ban, and Fabio Coentrao, who received the same punishment for a verbal insult to Perez Lasa.
Ramos still has the option of going to the Spanish Committee of Sporting Discipline.