Jude Bellingham faces FIFA ban after viral Argentina incident

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Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Jude Bellingham could reportedly be handed a ban by FIFA following an incident with Valentin Barco after England’s 2-1 loss to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

The Real Madrid superstar scored six goals and provided one assist in seven appearances at the tournament, but he was unable to prevent a late collapse versus Lionel Scaloni’s side as England crumbled to another devastating major tournament defeat thanks to goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez.

The Three Lions have now been eliminated in each of their last seven World Cup knockout games in which they have faced a top 10 ranked nation, dating back to 1998, and they will have to wait until 2030 to rectify that record following this latest setback.

After Fernandez’s equalising goal in the 85th minute, Barco sprinted onto the pitch along with the rest of the Argentina substitutes, but he made a beeline for the England players, rather than celebrate with his team-mates.

He was promptly pushed by John Stones, and the Strasbourg midfielder, who is set to join Chelsea this summer, was then the subject of Bellingham’s attention after the full-time whistle.

It’s unclear whether Barco said anything to the England midfielder, but Bellingham was suddenly prompted into action and slapped the back of the Argentine’s head, who was immediately surrounded by his team-mates.

Could Jude Bellingham be banned by FIFA?

No immediate action was taken by the on-field referee Ismail Elfath, but Bellingham could face a retrospective punishment as a result of his conduct.

That is according to ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett, who told Football Insider: “FIFA's disciplinary panel at this World Cup have not covered themselves in glory. Allowing [Folarin] Balogun to have his ban suspended appears to show political interference [from Donald Trump].

“What Jude Bellingham did was a petulant and silly action, and he may well receive a fine or a ban. However, he may be lucky and the disciplinary panel decide to take no action.”

If Bellingham is banned by FIFA, it won’t be the first time that he has been punished at a major tournament after receiving a suspended one-game ban and a €30,000 fine after making a crotch-grabbing gesture during England’s last-16 win over Slovakia at Euro 2024.

Bellingham was the subject of a UEFA investigation and he was eventually cleared to play against Switzerland in the quarter-final, with his one-game ban suspended for a year.