Sergio Ramos: Did Real Madrid captain get deliberately booked against Ajax?
Thursday 14 February 2019 16:15, UK
There is still some confusion as to whether Sergio Ramos intentionally got himself booked against Ajax on Wednesday, although the Real Madrid captain would not be the first player to apparently try such a thing.
In an interview following Real's 2-1 win in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Ramos initially suggested he had deliberately picked up a yellow to avoid the return leg at the Bernabeu.
"Not to underestimate the opponent, but sometimes you have to take these decisions and that's what I decided," Ramos told El Chiringuito TV.
A suspension at this stage of the competition reduces the risk of Ramos missing a match for the holders in the latter stages.
However, if found guilty of such an offence, players now receive a "suspension for two competition matches or for a specified period for clearly receiving a yellow or red card on purpose" under new UEFA rules.
Ramos, though, has subsequently denied that was his intention, saying: "I did not get the yellow card on purpose, just like the last yellow card I got in the competition."
But the Spain defender has been involved in similar incidents in the past, as have others...
David Beckham
The England captain was suspended for his country's World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan in October 2004 after picking up his second caution of the campaign against Wales a few days earlier.
However, the midfielder, who also sustained an injury at Old Trafford, subsequently revealed he had deliberately fouled Wales defender Ben Thatcher in order to miss the trip to Baku.
Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso
With Madrid having already qualified for the knockout phase of Europe's premier club competition in 2010, both players were cautioned and sent off in the last five minutes of a group game with Ajax meaning they missed the club's next fixture with Auxerre.
However, UEFA opted against giving the duo a further one-match ban although they were fined, while manager Jose Mourinho was handed a suspended two-game ban and fined €40,000.
"Players Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos were fined €20,000. The red cards given to Alonso and Ramos stand, and they have therefore been suspended for one UEFA club competition match," said UEFA at the time.
Sergio Ballesteros
UEFA gave Levante centre-back Sergio Ballesteros a two-game ban after deciding the player had intentionally got himself booked in a Europa League tie with Hannover in the 2012/13 season.
Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso
The duo were again booked late on during the first leg of Real's 3-0 victory over Galatasaray in the last eight of the Champions League in 2013.
With Madrid seemingly cruising towards a place in the semi-finals, Alonso was yellow carded for dissent, while Ramos was cautioned after kicking the ball away.
Both players therefore missed the return leg in Istanbul, meaning their yellow cards were then wiped clear ahead of a semi-final showdown with Borussia Dortmund.
Dani Carvajal
Real's right back was hit with a two-match ban by UEFA after they decided he had deliberately got booked in the last minute of his side's 6-0 Champions League group stage win over Apoel Nicosia in November 2017.
European football's governing body charged Carvajal with "receiving a yellow card on purpose" after he was booked for wasting time when taking a throw-in.
It was the defender's third yellow card in that season's competition and initially triggered a one-match suspension, meaning the Spaniard would have missed Real's final group game with Dortmund which was in effect a dead rubber.
However, UEFA then decided that Carvajal's booking was intentional, with the player given a two-match ban which ruled him out of the first leg of Real's last-16 clash with PSG.
