LAGOS, Nigeria — Four players for Real Madrid don receive clearance to play against Arsenal for Champions League quarter-final after dem face UEFA investigation. The players, Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Ceballos, and Vinicius Junior, no go miss any game despite their post-match celebrations against Atletico Madrid last month.
UEFA carry out investigation following allegations of indecent conduct during the last-16 knockout game on March 12, where Real Madrid win against Atletico for penalties. After dem win, players reportedly make gestures towards the home fans, which sparked the probe. But on Friday, UEFA announced Vinicius Junior go face no charges, while Rudiger, Mbappe, and Ceballos receive fines instead of bans.
Mbappe and Rudiger collect suspended bans of one match following the decision. UEFA find Rudiger guilty of “the basic rules of decent conduct” and issue him a fine of €40,000 (about $44,000), while Mbappe face a lesser fine of €30,000 (around $33,000). Ceballos, on the other hand, got fined €20,000 ($22,000) without receiving any suspension.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti show confidence about the outcome of the investigation before the verdict drop, saying, “We are confident in UEFA’s investigation… our players didn’t do anything wrong.” He added that the players only celebrate their hard-fought victory.
Despite the investigation findings, all four players can line up for Real Madrid against Arsenal for the first leg of the quarter-finals at Emirates Stadium on April 8. The second leg is set for April 16 at Bernabeu.
In addition to the players’ situation, Real Madrid will enjoy another boost as their goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, dey recover from injury and fi ready to play on Tuesday. Ancelotti express optimism about Courtois’ fitness, while backup goalie Andriy Lunin has been struggling with a slight injury.
On the Arsenal side, dem dey deal with injury blow as Brazilian defender Gabriel don get ruled out for the rest of the season, which fit affect their defensive line-up against Los Blancos.
