Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger has been suspended for six matches after throwing an object toward the referee during the Copa del Rey final loss to Barcelona.

Rüdiger and his teammate Lucas Vázquez, who had already been substituted, were shown straight red cards late in the match in Seville after they angrily protested a foul called against Kylian Mbappé, just before the final whistle.

According to referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, Rüdiger was sent off for “throwing an object from the technical area, which missed me.” BBC Sport’s Guillem Balague reported that the object thrown was an ice cube.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) explained in its report that Rüdiger received the six-game ban “for minor violence against the referees.”

Meanwhile, the red card given to Jude Bellingham for dissent after the match has been overturned. The referee had written that Bellingham “approached our position in an aggressive attitude, having to be restrained by his team-mates,” but the RFEF said Real Madrid provided video footage that proved otherwise.

Rüdiger's suspension will cover five La Liga games this season and one game at the start of the 2025–26 campaign.

However, the German defender is unlikely to be affected significantly, as he underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.