UEFA have appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of indecent conduct by Kylian Mbappe, Vinícius Júnior, Antonio Rudiger and Dani Ceballos during the second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid on March 12th.
The federation has said it appointed a disciplinary inspector to study the unspecified allegations which include Video clips circulating on social media that showed Mbappé grabbing his crotch during celebrations on the field for Madrid winning a penalty shootout which was aimed at Atletico fans.
All four players celebrated in what was believed to be in a controversial manner and If charged and found guilty, the players could be punished with a ban or major fine. Jude Bellingham was fined €30,000 at Euro 2024 last summer and given a one-match suspended ban for his crotch-grabbing gesture and the same could be applied to Mbappe.
This could be a major boost for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as he hopes to keep the club’s Champions League hopes alive as they welcome Madrid to the Emirates Stadium at the start of next month. A statement from UEFA read:
“A UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of indecent conduct by Real Madrid CF players (Antonio Rüdiger, Kylian Mbappé, Daniel Ceballos Fernández and Vinicius Junior) during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between Club Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid CF on 12 March 2025.
“Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course.”