England star Jude Bellingham could be banned for his country’s crunch Euro 2024 showdown with Switzerland on Saturday due to his celebration against Slovakia. The 21-year-old popped up with an equaliser in the 95th minute in the last-16 encounter with Slovakia, with Harry Kane notching a winner at the start of extra time.
Bellingham may have landed himself in trouble after celebrating his strike with a X-rated gesture.
The Real Madrid attacker was seen kissing his hand and then moving his open palm towards his groin area as he gazed over at the Slovakia bench.
He later explained his actions as he wrote on X: “An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.”
But, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, UEFA may consider the act worthy of a one-match ban. And that would leave Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate without the blockbuster star in the last-eight.
“I think the performance was really good until their goal and even after,” Bellingham explained as he spoke to BBC Sport after the victory over Slovakia.
“We had massive control of the game, always threatening in the final third, maybe just lacking the final touch to create big chances. It’s going to be important for us going forward, definitely.
“Look at who came on. We’ve won this game together. Not me, not Harry, not the individual moments. It’s the likes of Ivan Toney, Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka going to left-back. It’s the sacrifice you make for the team and that’s the energy we need to keep regardless of what goes on.”
After the final whistle had blown, Southgate revealed he had considered taking Bellingham off before the equaliser as the manager stated: “We were thinking should we take him off, but you know he is capable of those sorts of moments.
“We know in the game itself we needed to be better with the ball, we couldn’t find the right solutions in the first half and we did it better in the second.
“Under that pressure they kept probing. In the end it is the old fashioned long throw that gets the goal, those moments can happen when you keep wearing a team down.”
And discussing Bellingham’s wondergoal, Three Lions captain Harry Kane added: “That’s right up there. To score that type of goal in that moment to keep our dreams alive is one of the best. What a player.
“Credit to him for being ready in that moment. It wasn’t easy. To score that type of goal in that moment just shows the type of person he is.”
