UEFA has imposed a two-match suspension on Dani Carvajal after his red card against Olympique Marseille on the opening night of the Champions League. The Real Madrid captain will serve the ban while sidelined through injury.
In the 72nd minute of the 2-1 win, Carvajal lost his composure in an altercation with goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.
The right-back pressed his head into the Argentine’s face, an action deemed violent conduct after VAR review and punished with a straight red card.
Days later, after Madrid’s league victory over Espanyol, the 33-year-old publicly apologised: “I want to apologise for the red card in the Champions League. It was inappropriate for a match of that magnitude and for me personally. I hope to learn from this and ensure it does not happen again.”
The sanction will have limited impact in practice. Carvajal picked up a soleus injury during the Madrid derby and is expected to miss around a month, a period that covers both suspended matches: Tuesday’s trip to Kairat Almaty and the home clash with Juventus on 22 October.
