UEFA has threatened to punish Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal for his incident with Bukayo Saka during halftime of his team’s Champions League loss to Arsenal. On Wednesday night at the Bernabeu, injured right-back Carvajal was spotted in the tunnel area as the teams exited the field. The Spanish international accosted Saka and raised his hands as the England star made his way to the dressing rooms.
When Saka pushed back in response to Carvajal’s hand on the back of his neck, staff members from both sides, including Ben White, the Gunners substitute, rushed to Carvajal’s defense.
Saka swiftly left the tunnel and was found to be entirely innocent of any wrongdoing; Spanish newspaper Marca has now confirmed what many had assumed was the cause of Carvajal’s ire.
According to the report, the six-time Champions League champion was not pleased with what he considered to be Saka’s “disrespectful” decision to take a Panenka penalty against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. The Arsenal star’s first-half attempt was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Bukayo Saka bust-up could trigger UEFA ban
Saka gave the Gunners the lead for the evening with a spectacular second-half finish after missing a penalty. But after Vinicius Jr. swiftly equalized the score by taking advantage of a mistake made by William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli broke free to give the visitors the victory in injury time.
UEFA regulations prohibited Carvajal from entering the technical area during the game because he was a fan and not a member of the team. Therefore, he went there at halftime. Now he can be subject to a UEFA ban, like the one imposed on former Real Madrid player Xabi Alonso.
The two had previously been involved in an incident of a similar nature, with Carvajal fouling Saka during the Euro 2024 final and then simulating sobbing and diving motions. Madrid’s captain, Lucas Vazquez, attacked Arsenal’s style of play, so Carvajal wasn’t the only player to act irrationally.
