JUDE BELLINGHAM has been cleared to play against Switzerland by Uefa.
England’s hero was the subject of an investigation by Uefa over a gesture he made after scoring in Sunday’s 2-1 Euros win over Slovakia.
Bellingham, 21, appeared to feign grabbing his crotch in a move that signalled he has what it takes in a crisis.
The England star has been slapped with a £30,000 fine and a one-match ban, suspended for 12 months.
Match officials made no mention of the gesture in their match reports but Uefa still intervened.
A statement from the organisation read: “A Uefa Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector will conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding a potential violation of the basic rules of decent conduct by the English Football Association player, Jude Bellingham, having allegedly occurred in the scope of this match.
“Information on this matter will be made available in due course.”
However Bellingham has now been cleared of any wrongdoing and is set to line up against Switzerland.
The Real Madrid star defended his controversial gesture, stating it was aimed at close friends at the game and not towards the opposition.
He added: “Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.”
Piers Morgan also leapt to Bellingham’s defence by outlining ten reasons why he may have made the gesture.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
EXPERT football psychologist Professor Geir Jordet has told Gareth Southgate and his players what they can do to give themselves the best chance of victory in any shootouts.
And he has even thrown in a rogue, bold suggestion for the Three Lions manager…
1. START PLANNING LAST YEAR
“It’s about planning for the opposition’s penalty takers but also ‘how do we win the psychological game against each opponent?’
2. SMART SOUTHGATE LEADERSHIP
“Southgate will have two minutes to influence his players as effectively as possible, show he has a plan and get confidence across.”
3. DICTATE AS A TEAM
“A shootout is really a team performance. Have the goalkeeper walk with the penalty taker into the penalty area to basically create a two-versus-one against the other goalkeeper. Dominate the centre circle, support the players who missed.”
4. ‘BULLETPROOF’ INDIVIDUAL ROUTINES
“Have really good, individualised and rehearsed pre-shot routines that are bulletproof and polished so they’re more likely to be able to resist the stress and more likely to score.”
5. SHOOT YOUR SHOT
“Practise the shot itself, trying to simulate penalty shootouts in training. Even recreating 20 per cent of a Euros final penalty shootout is going to have a benefit for your performance.”
AND A JOR DROPPING IDEA…
Jordan Pickford is the No1 but Dean Henderson actually has a far better penalty record – saving 8/22 (36 per cent) compared to Pickford’s 8/62 (13 per cent).
Jordet said: “One could consider making a late substitution for a penalty shootout. I doubt that they dare to do it in case it fails and the pressure is even higher but it would be a very ballsy move.”
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
One reason may be Bellingham wanted to show he had “massive cojones” after rescuing the Three Lions from the brink of elimination with his last-minute overhead kick.
He even made the exact same gesture when he netted a late winner in Real Madrid’s 3-2 El Clasico victory against Barcelona in April.
Other players have had the book thrown at them for making crude gestures. Here's a list of some of the most famous offenders...
Dele Alli was banned for one match by Fifa and fined £3,500 for raising his middle finger in a World Cup qualifier against… SLOVAKIA… in 2017. He claimed it was just a friendly joke aimed at Kyle Walker.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone was slapped with a £17,000 fine for improper conduct for his bizarre crotch-grabbing celebration against Juventus in a Champions League first leg tie in 2019.
Then-Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo then repeated the act when he scored against Atletico in the return leg and was hit with an identical fine. He escaped a ban though.
Montpellier coach Rene Girard was hit with a one-match European ban and fined £4,000 for raising his finger to opposite number Huub Stevens at the end of a 2012 Champions League clash against Schalke 04.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
