Ethan Mbappé is banned for three Champions League matches after receiving a red card for elbowing an opponent in Lille’s opening defeat to Real Betis. UEFA announces the sanction after a charge of “assaulting another player” linked to an incident during Betis’s 3-2 win at Lille in mid-September, three weeks before UEFA’s decision.
UEFA states that Mbappé struck Betis defender Natan with an elbow. According to the reports, Natan appears to react or say something as Mbappé passes behind him, and the contact is shown in video review. The red card is therefore upheld through the disciplinary process.
While outlets focus on the same disciplinary outcome, they differ mainly in wording and emphasis: some underscore the video review and the charge description, while others highlight the match result and the timing of the sanction. All accounts agree on the length of the ban and the cause being the elbow incident.
