Antonio Rüdiger (32, Real Madrid) is facing a serious disciplinary penalty for throwing an object at the referee.

Real Madrid lost 2-3 to Barcelona after extra time in the 2024-2025 Copa del Rey final, held at Estadio La Cartuja in Seville, Spain, on the 27th (Korea time).

During the second half of added time and after extra time, tension exploded on the Real Madrid bench, and Rüdiger ultimately committed the worst action.

The British 'Metro' reported that after the match, "Rüdiger threw a piece of ice at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea at the end of the match," adding, "After a heated protest, he received a red card along with Lucas Vázquez, and there is a possibility of additional punishment."

The incident occurred during the added time of extra time. Real Madrid conceded a comeback goal to Barcelona's fullback Jules Koundé, making the score 2-3, and in an already heated atmosphere, Vázquez and Vinícius Júnior vehemently protested to the referee.

The problem was Rüdiger's abrupt action. According to Metro's explanation, he picked up a piece of ice from the bench and threw it at the referee, and this scene was immediately captured by the officiating crew.

The main referee, de Burgos, immediately approached the bench and displayed a red card to Lucas Vázquez and Rüdiger. Rüdiger protested vigorously, even running towards de Burgos. The club's coaching staff intervened, but he was ultimately sent off.

After the match, several posts analyzing Rüdiger's lip movements appeared on social media, suggesting he uttered unspeakable insults in German to the referee, including "You're a freak (Du Missgeburt)" and "You're a son of a whore (Du Hurensohn)."

Metro reported that "Real's coaching staff and teammates managed to restrain him. Rüdiger couldn't hide his excitement, even tearing off the ice pack on his knee, and six people, including Mendy and Vallejo, stepped in to calm him down. Rüdiger's actions have reignited the controversy regarding 'Real Madrid's treatment of referees,' which has been a longstanding issue in Spanish football."

It noted that "referee de Burgos shared in the pre-match press conference the reality of having his child return home crying after hearing 'your dad is a thief' at school," criticizing the unjust accusations directed at the referees.

The media explained that "de Burgos and VAR official Pablo González Fuertes pointed out that a continuous atmosphere of criticism towards the officiating crew was fostered in Real Madrid's club broadcast," shedding light on Real's misconduct.

According to the explanation, de Burgos said, "I want to teach my son that his father is honest and can make mistakes, but does not lie." He added that "what we are experiencing harms not only professional football but also amateur football," calling for reflection across the football community.

Real Madrid immediately reacted strongly to this statement. The club issued a statement saying, "We cannot accept the officiating crew's comments," and demanded the Spanish Football Association replace the referee for the Copa del Rey final, but this was not accepted.

In the final, Real initially conceded a goal to Pedri before taking a 2-1 lead with a late equalizer from Kylian Mbappé, who was substituted in the second half, and a comeback goal from Aurélien Tchouaméni. However, they allowed an equalizer to Ferran Torres, leading the match into extra time, where they eventually fell to Koundé's long-range shot.

Barcelona argued for two missed penalty kicks in the first half, concerning Federico Valverde's handball and Dani Ceballos' 'shirt pulling,' but those claims were not accepted. In the second half, Raúl Asensio also brought down Raphinha, but a penalty was not awarded due to VAR intervention.

Ultimately, Barcelona secured a 3-2 victory with Koundé's dramatic goal and lifted the Copa del Rey trophy. In La Liga, Barcelona also leads Real by 4 points.

Meanwhile, Rüdiger is being mentioned as facing a lengthy suspension across both league and cup competitions due to this incident.

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