Atlético Madrid forward Ángel Correa has been handed a five-game ban following his explosive outburst towards the referee during Sunday's defeat at Getafe.
The Spanish football federation's disciplinary committee imposed the suspension on Wednesday, which includes one game for the red card offense and an additional four matches for his insulting behavior towards referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernández.
Correa was dismissed in the 88th minute of Atlético's 2-1 LaLiga loss for a challenge on Getafe defender Djené Dakonam. Following the red card, the Argentina international launched into what was described as an "X-rated rant" at the referee, reportedly calling him "son of a thousand wh--es" and "a wimp," according to Cuadra Fernández's match report.
The incident proved costly for Atlético on multiple fronts. Not only did they surrender a 1-0 lead after Correa's dismissal, conceding twice in four minutes to damage their title hopes, but they will now be without the forward for several crucial fixtures.
Correa will miss Sunday's pivotal league match against Barcelona, followed by a game at Espanyol, the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg against Barcelona, and LaLiga fixtures against Sevilla and Real Valladolid. This comes at a particularly challenging time for Atlético, who sit just one point behind joint leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid in the table.
The player later expressed remorse for his actions on social media platform X, stating that his "respect for referees is total" and acknowledging that he had "reacted in the worst way" during a "delicate moment." However, the disciplinary committee determined that the "pressure" and "nerves of the situation" could not justify his insulting behavior.
There is one small silver lining for Atlético — the ban applies only to domestic competitions, meaning Correa will be available for Wednesday's Champions League round-of-16 second leg against city rivals Real Madrid at the Metropolitano stadium.
