Confusion over potential Jude Bellingham ban as UEFA take action over England star's gesture

There has been conflicting reports over whether both Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice could be charged by UEFA for their behaviour after England's win over Slovakia at Euro 2024.

England came from behind to win their round of 16 match in dramatic fashion on Sunday evening.

Trailing 1-0 heading into added time, England snatched an equaliser through a spectacular overhead kick from Bellingham with just seconds remaining in the match.

Harry Kane then scored in extra time to seal victory for the Three Lions, who will now face Switzerland in their quarter-final on Saturday.

There were ugly scenes at the end of the match when Arsenal midfielder Rice was involved in an altercation with Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona.

Rice appeared to call the Italian, who had tried to approach the officials, a 'bald c***' - and had to be held back by teammate Aaron Ramsdale.

Footage later emerged of Bellingham making a crude gesture with his hands after scoring, with some fans suggesting it had been directed at the Slovakian bench.

However, the Real Madrid star later claimed it was merely a joke to friends watching in the stands.

"Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight," he added on X.

It had been suggested that both Bellingham and Rice could be charged by UEFA in the wake of the victory in Gelsenkirchen, resulting in a potential suspension for both players.

The Daily Mail initially claimed that European football's governing body 'had no plans to charge the pair' while adding that 'fines or bans were unlikely'.

But it has now been claimed by the same publication that UEFA is indeed set to investigate Bellingham's gesture, raising fears over a potential suspension for the Real Madrid man.

Speaking after Sunday's match, Slovakia manager Calzona confirmed that Rice had apologised to him following the incident - before taking aim at England over what he perceived to be time-wasting tactics in the closing stages of extra time.

"I didn't like the way the England team were wasting time and not punished," said the Italian.

Rice was involved in a heated moment after England's win over Slovakia (Image: Getty)

"Rice was supposed to go to the referees and leave. I had to speak to the refs and he wasn't leaving, he was carrying on. But then he apologised, and it was all fine.

"The disappointment is huge. But I feel more pride than disappointment. We almost won and advanced against the world class team.

"We tried very hard, we almost advanced, we failed to advance. In extra time, we spent half an hour in the opponent's half. I'm proud that we managed it this way and did such a great job.

"At that moment [the Bellingham goal], we should have been more aggressive in defending individual players. I didn't like the refereeing of the match - it's not why we lost. I am proud of our team."

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated transfer news channel to send you the latest deals, rumours and more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.