Declan Rice could be facing a UEFA ban after Arsenal’s draw with Atletico Madrid. The Gunners midfielder raged after his side had a late penalty overturned by referee Danny Makellie. Determined to break a heated tie, Rice’s teammate Eze collided with Atletico Madrid’s Hancko over a live ball. To all on the field, including Rice, it appeared to be a clear penalty on Atletico Madrid.
However, after several reviews on the VAR monitor, it was ultimately not ruled a penalty. The video appears to show Eze getting to the ball first. Rice, who played the full 90 minutes, didn’t bite his tongue about the apparent blown call:
“It’s a clear penalty, I don’t know how that’s not been given. I think they provoked the decision and changed the ref’s mind.
Potential Punishment Looms
According to Bettingtop10 Nigeria, the UEFA will look into the interview after Rice accused the referee of caving in to Atletico Madrid’s fan base. The governing body will have to study the referee’s report, then decide whether or not Rice’s comments bring the referee’s integrity into question.
If they decide this has happened, they could hand the midfielder a ban. It is not clear how long the UEFA review will take. With emotions running high, Arsenal will take on Atletico Madrid at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday in what should be a heated rematch in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.
If Arsenal defeat their Spanish rivals, they will progress to the final, where they will face Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain on May 30. For Rice, banishment isn’t anything new.
While playing for West Ham, Rice was banned for two matches for accusing a referee of corruption during a semi-final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. Interestingly, UEFA took several weeks to hand out Rice’s previous temporary ban.
