England midfielder Jude Bellingham may face disciplinary motion after he appeared to slap Argentina substitute Valentin Barco following his aspect’s 2-1 defeat within the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final.
The incident occurred shortly after the ultimate whistle as Argentina celebrated their victory. Barco, who was an unused substitute, ran onto the pitch to have fun along with his team-mates.
As Bellingham walked previous, he appeared to slap Barco on the again of the pinnacle, resulting in a short confrontation between gamers from each groups earlier than the Actual Madrid star walked away.
The explanation for Bellingham’s response remains to be unclear. Nonetheless, tv footage confirmed Barco celebrating in entrance of the England gamers after Enzo Fernandez scored Argentina’s profitable objective late within the match.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, talking on BBC Radio 5 Stay, criticised Barco’s celebration.
“It was in all probability the worst instance of sportsmanship we’ve seen at this World Cup,” Robinson mentioned.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee is anticipated to assessment the incident. If Bellingham is discovered responsible of violent conduct, he may very well be suspended for England’s third-place play-off in opposition to France on Saturday in Miami.
Nonetheless, FIFA could resolve the incident didn’t contain extreme power. Beneath the Legal guidelines of the Sport, intentionally putting an opponent on the pinnacle will not be mechanically a red-card offence if the contact is taken into account minor.
England will now wait to see whether or not Bellingham might be obtainable for the bronze medal match as FIFA considers the incident.
