Bellingham free to play against Switzerland after given suspended ban
Jude Bellingham is cleared to play in England’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland on Saturday after receiving a one-match suspended ban and a fine for a gesture made during the last-16 win over Slovakia.
The 21-year-old’s ban is suspended for a year, and he has been fined £25,400 (30,000 euros).
The midfielder’s crotch-grabbing gesture towards the Slovakian bench, following his late equaliser in the 2-1 victory, was investigated by UEFA. Bellingham, who has previously made the gesture while playing for Real Madrid, denied it was directed at England’s opponents.
On social media, Bellingham explained that the gesture was “an inside-joke towards some close friends who were at the game,” adding that he had “nothing but respect for how Slovakia played.”
Jude Bellingham has started all four of England’s Euro 2024 matches, contributing two of England’s four goals in Germany, including the dramatic 95th-minute overhead kick equalizer against Slovakia.
England will face Switzerland in Düsseldorf at 17:00 BST, with the match broadcast live on BBC One, BBC Radio 5 Live, and the BBC Sport website and app. All 26 players in manager Gareth Southgate’s squad participated in training on Friday morning.
The Football Association has been fined £9,310 (11,000 euros) for crowd issues involving England supporters. This includes a 10,000 euro fine for crowd disturbances and a 1,000 euro fine for lighting fireworks.
While Bellingham is available for Saturday’s match, Turkey defender Merih Demiral has received a two-match ban for a gesture made during his side’s last-16 win against Austria. Demiral, 26, scored both of Turkey’s goals in their 2-1 victory and celebrated his second goal with a ‘wolf salute’.
The gesture, banned in Austria and France, is associated with the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves, which is closely linked to Turkey’s ruling coalition party, the National Movement Party.
Turkey will play the Netherlands in Berlin, with the match kicking off at 20:00.