Ancelotti faces a four-match ban after comments against referee over Girona penalty

Real Madrid’s excellent start to the league season took a hit when the reigning Spanish champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Girona.

Although the result was enough to see them get back to the top of the league table, they are now leading Barcelona only by a point.

The biggest point of contention of the match saw Marco Asensio being penalised in the 78th minute for handling the ball inside the penalty area. Girona subsequently were awarded a spot-kick, with Cristhian Stuani making no mistake in converting the opportunity.

However, Real Madrid members and staff were not happy with the situation and felt Asensio was wrongly penalised. This saw Carlo Ancelotti fuming, with the Real Madrid coach deeming the penalty as a product of referee’s invention.

But according to Diario AS, Ancelotti is facing the risk of being sanctioned for the terminology he used to refute the referee’s decision to award Real Madrid a penalty late into the game.

The report suggests Ancelotti’s words have been reported to the Competition Committee by RFEF’s Integrity Committee. They will hold a meeting in order to decide whether or not the Italian should be sanctioned.

Valencia starlet Jose Gaya was banned for a similar offence last season when the left-back directed words to a referee at a league game. He was subsequently given a four-match banned at the start of the season.

Ancelotti is facing the same situation and could be sanctioned with a similar ban, which, in turn, could be a blow for Real Madrid as they brace themselves for a crucial phase of the campaign.