Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has been charged by UEFA for receiving a yellow card on purpose during the Champions League match against Ajax in order to serve a suspension before the quarter-finals.
Defender Ramos was booked in the 89th minute of Madrid’s 2-1 victory in Amsterdam on February 13, which meant he would therefore miss the second leg of the last-16 tie at the Bernabeu.
Speaking immediately after the match, Ramos was quoted as saying he “would be lying” if he denied deliberately earning the booking.
“I’m very surprised about all this. I was referring to forcing the foul, a foul that was inevitable. Not to forcing the booking,” the Real Madrid captain said.
Asked if he knew the foul was likely to lead to a yellow card and a ban, he added: “Yes, but I had no choice.
“It was a very dangerous counterattack in the 88th minute, with an open match and the tie as well.
“That’s why I said that I would lie if I said I did not know that I was carrying a penalty, just as I knew that I had no other choice than to make a mistake. And that’s what I meant when I said that in football you have to make complicated decisions.”
Ramos added: “If I had wanted to force a penalty, I could have done it in the group stage, in the match against Roma because we were already classified as first of groups and the last game, against CSKA, was inconsequential. By the way, a match in which I did not play.”
