Jude Bellingham is ‘set for a five-figure fine but will ESCAPE a ban’ after X-rated gesture following his spectacular goal in England’s dramatic win against Slovakia

Jude Bellingham is reportedly unlikely to be suspended for his spectacular goal against Slovakia, leaving him available for England’s quarter-final clash with Switzerland on Saturday.

Bellingham, 21, was seen making an apparent rude gesture towards the Slovakian bench after scoring a bicycle kick in the 95th minute to keep England’s hopes of reaching Euro 2024 alive.

Harry Kane scored the winning goal in extra time to secure England a place in the round of 16, but UEFA launched an investigation into Bellingham’s conduct.

Bellingham could face a suspension, but he likely won’t get a suspension and could instead face a five-figure fine, according to Image.

After Sunday’s match, Bellingham denied to X that he had intended to offend anyone with his gesture.

He wrote: ‘An inside joke gesture to some good friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakian team played tonight.’

This statement could help prevent a suspension. Although the gesture could be considered unsportsmanlike, it is difficult to prove that it was directed at someone specifically. Furthermore, Slovakia has chosen not to press charges.

Bellingham was seen making a similar gesture after scoring the last-minute winner for Real Madrid against Barcelona last season, but he was not examined on that occasion.

Bild also points out that Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a similarly rude gesture during his heroic penalty shootout performance in the 2022 World Cup final and was given a fine.

However, UEFA has already banned one player for Euro 2024. Albanian forward Mirlind Daku was given a two-match ban after inciting fans to chant “f*** Macedonia” and “f*** Serbs” while holding a megaphone following his team’s 2-2 draw with Croatia in the group stage.

The umbrella organization issued a statement explaining their decision, confirming that Daku had been suspended “for using sporting events for non-sporting events and for bringing football into disrepute.”

A separate investigation is now underway into the goal celebration by Turkish defender Merih Demiral.

The 26-year-old scored twice in Turkey’s 2-1 win over Austria on Tuesday and is also said to have made a “wolf salute” associated with the Grey Wolves, a far-right group in Turkey.

The Grey Wolves, officially called Ulku Ocaklari, are the youth movement of the Nationalist Movement Party, which forms a coalition with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK) of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The investigation is still ongoing and it is not yet clear whether Demiral will be suspended for Turkey’s quarter-final against the Netherlands on Saturday.

More to follow…