In case you haven't yet heard, Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso were both sent off during Real Madrid's 4-0 Champions League win over Ajax on Tuesday. Alonso saw a second yellow in the 87th minute, for wasting time dawdling over a free kick, while the card for Ramos came three minutes later as he did the same thing during a goal kick. The significance of the sending-offs lies not in the fact that Madrid played the final minutes of the match with nine men-Ajax probably couldn't have scored even if an empty net was presented to them-but rather in the fact that Alonso and Ramos will both have a clean slate for the Round of Sixteen. Rather than risking a second yellow that would keep them out of the next round, the players will instead miss the club's meaningless match against Auxerre.
UEFA Investigates Real Madrid Red Cards, Jose Mourinho Faces Possible Touchline Ban
Many neutral observers saw this as yet more evidence of the utter genius of manager José Mourinho, but it appears that UEFA did not see matters in such a generous light. Instead, UEFA has charged Mourinho and four Real Madrid players with unsporting conduct, including Alonso and Ramos. The other two players who must answer to the charge are Jerzy Dudek and Iker Casillas, both thought to have passed messages from Mourinho to Ramos.
Should the players be found guilty of unsporting conduct, they could receive longer suspensions, possibly rendering them unable to play in Madrid’s first knockout match, which is, of course, exactly the situation the team was trying to avoid. If the charge against Mourinho is upheld, the manager would face a touchline ban, giving the millions that are fascinated by the manager rather than the players one less reason to watch the Champions League match. (In other words, UEFA, it’s time to look the other way).
