Arsenal suspension, European rule change - Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid red card punishment decided

Kylian Mbappe was shown a straight red card in Real Madrid's La Liga victory against Alaves over the weekend and that will see him potentially suspended for some big games.

Los Blancos have endured a challenging last few weeks with last-gasp defeat to Valencia earlier this month followed by a humbling Champions League quarter-final first leg loss to Arsenal. Because of those two results, Madrid now find themselves clinging onto hope of European and domestic success.

Thankfully for Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid were still able to win this past Sunday despite playing a large portion of the clash with 10 men and the reason for that was Mbappe's horror tackle on Antonio Blanco. The Frenchman was initially shown a yellow card but after a VAR intervention, it was upgraded to a red.

Such a dangerous tackle has seen many punishments recommended with some even of the belief he should not play again this season. With that being said, football.london writers have provided their verdict on the challenge and what an acceptable ban length would be.

Kieran Horn

There is no denying that Mbappe's foul was horrific and yet he will be able to play again for Madrid just a few days later as if nothing has happened.

As the red card was shown to him in a Spanish league game, the 26-year-old is free to play in the Champions League with his suspension served in domestic contest. This is where I believe the rules should be changed and that straight red cards, particularly for violent conduct or dangerous play, should carry across to all competitions.

It is understandable that an accumulation of bookings, or being shown two in one game, would result in the ban being served in that set competition, but for red cards this should not be the case. Given what happened, I think a three-game ban would suffice and Mbappe nor Madrid can really dispute that.

If that was the punishment dished out, he would miss the Champions League quarter-final second leg with Arsenal and La Liga fixtures against Athletic Club and Getafe but be back available for the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.

Jake Stokes

Kylian Mbappe should be given a three-game ban for his horror tackle on Antonio Blanco. It was a nasty challenge. It was late, reckless, dangerous and he had absolutely no intent to play the ball whatsoever.

The Deportivo Alaves midfielder is very lucky to have not broken his leg! Had Blanco planted his foot into the turf when Mbappe made contact, his leg would have snapped into two pieces.

The more I watch the incident back the worse it gets. If the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) can warrant a two-match ban for Jude Bellingham swearing at the referee then Mbappe needs a three-game suspension.

While Arsenal fans would – understandably – like to see the Real Madrid talisman miss Wednesday night's clash in the UEFA Champions League, I don't see any reason why a punishment should suddenly carry over to another competition.

That said, referees across Europe will view Mbappe differently now. Whether it was right or wrong, deserved or not, Granit Xhaka seemed to have a reputation among officials in England – so the Frenchman should probably let the dust settle and stay out of the limelight for a while.

Amie Wilson

The more I watch the challenge from Mbappe, the worse it gets, and it was only good luck that the player wasn’t seriously injured as a result. Therefore, I think Mbappe should get a slightly extended ban than the ususal three.

A five game domestic ban would see him miss the rest of the season.

I’m however with Kieran on this, although different governing bodies run the competitions, surely there should be some collaboration on bans and suspensions carrying across competitions.

The fact that Mbappe will be suspended for the upcoming La Liga games due to a dangerous challenge, but will be fine to play in the huge clash against Arsenal doesn’t sit that well with me.

The biggest punishment to deter challenges like that would be for players to miss the biggest games. Often those biggest games come in Europe.

Bruna Reis

What a horrific challenge from Mbappe on Blanco. He went in with his studs raised, making direct contact with the midfielder's shin. As we know, a straight red card typically results in a three-match ban, but I believe the France international’s punishment should be extended to at least five games.

However, his suspension will also depend on what the referee included in the match report after the game and whether Mbappe was abusive, disrespectful, or aggressive towards the officials or another player.

That said, Real Madrid are still in the fight for the La Liga title, and with only six games left in the season, it’s hard to imagine him being sidelined for that long.

Still, I believe suspensions for violent conduct like this should carry over into other competitions, such as the Champions League. That would be a huge boost for Arsenal - despite already holding a commanding 3–0 lead from the first leg.

Tom Coley

The Mbappe tackle is not good, let's get that out of the way. He is high, it is totally reckless, and the three-game ban he should get in La Liga would be totally deserved. The rules of football do not need to be changed outside of that, though.

If he gets away with a one-match domestic suspension - meaning he can play in the Copa del Rey final - then he is a lucky, lucky man. But this really does not have to be of interest to Arsenal.

Domestic competitions and bans should not carry over into Europe. Just because it would benefit Arsenal here does not mean it would be right. Remember when William Saliba was able to play in the group phase after being sent off against Bournemouth?

How would this even be policed. It isn't fair on the other domestic teams if Mbappe is back in action next weekend because he missed the Arsenal match, that isn't how this goes. It's a shocker of a tackle but the baby does not need to be thrown out with the bath water.