Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe is reportedly expected to escape with just a one-match ban for his horror challenge on Alaves' Antonio Blanco in Sunday's 1-0 win in La Liga.
Los Blancos responded to Barcelona's 1-0 victory over Leganes with a narrow win of their own in Sunday's away meeting with relegation-threatened Alaves.
Eduardo Camavinga opened the scoring after Raul Asencio had an early effort ruled out, before Real Madrid were reduced to 10 men when Mbappe was shown a straight red card in the 38th minute following a VAR review.
The Frenchman received the first red card of his Real Madrid career after he connected with his studs up on Blanco's calf in a dangerous challenge.
As a result of his dismissal, Mbappe became the first Real Madrid forward to be sent off in the first half of a La Liga match since Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2008.
"That's a disgusting challenge!" 🤢
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) April 13, 2025
Kylian Mbappé was sent off today for a horror challenge that's guaranteed to see Real Madrid without him for multiple games in the title run-in 🟥
𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 @sbk | 18+ | 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑦 pic.twitter.com/OnosfsRueF
Mbappe set to receive one-match ban
Davide Ancelotti, who stood in for his father Carlo Ancelotti due to a touchline ban, explained that Mbappe apologised to Blanco after the game for his dangerous tackle.
"I haven't spoken to him since," Ancelotti told reporters after the match. "Kylian isn't a violent kid, he's a kid who apologised and understands what he did. It was a clear red card, and he paid the consequences.
"The many small offenses he's been subjected to have made him react this way, which isn't right. I'm not justifying him, but that's what happened."
According to COPE, Mbappe is set to escape with a one-match ban rather than being given a harsher punishment for his dismissal.
The report claims that the referee's words in his post-match report should lead to a one-match ban, with official Cesar Soto Grado stating that Mbappe was challenging for the ball.
While the referee states Mbappe used "excessive force", the act of trying to win the ball could help him avoid an extended suspension.
© Imago
What is the maximum punishment for Mbappe?
Although Mbappe's ban is yet to be confirmed, he looks set to just be suspended for Sunday's La Liga home clash against Athletic Club.
There was a concern that Mbappe could have been suspended for up to four matches if he was found guilty of reckless play.
A ban of four matches or more would apply to all domestic competitions, meaning that he would miss the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on April 26.
However, it appears that he will avoid that scenario unless the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) opt for a harsher punishment than currently expected.
Mbappe's red card will have no impact on his availability for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final clash against Arsenal, with Los Blancos looking to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg.
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