Ángel Correa could face four-game ban after red card against Rayo

Ángel Correa was on the field for all of 20 minutes on Saturday night before referee Jose Munuera sent him off. The Argentine now faces a suspension of up to four games for insulting the referee.

The Atlético Madrid forward was involved in a tussle for the ball with Rayo’s Alejandro Catena. A free was awarded to the Rayo defender and the referee sprinted in Correa’s direction as the teams prepared for a throw-in, showing him a straight red.

It wasn’t until after the game when the reason for the sending off came to light.

Correa hardly argued, and the referee explained to Antoine Griezmann why he had sent his teammate off. The French attacker seemed to accept the decision, too.

The referee reported he sent off Correa for shouting in his direction: “La concha de tu madre!” — a very strong insult in Spanish that is both vulgar and disrespectful.

Correa will certainly miss the Alavés game after the international break but it could be worse, according to Diario AS. If the referee’s committee punish the insult toward the referee directly as such, Correa could miss the next four games in the league.

That would rule him out against Alavés, Mallorca, Espanyol and Granada.

Correa has recently lost his place, with João Félix and Antoine Griezmann preferred in attack for Diego Simeone. The four games after the international break are against four relegation contenders and could be a good chance to break into the starting 11 for the Manchester City games in the Champions League. If Correa misses both games (Alavés and Mallorca) before those Champions League clashes, his chances of starting against City becomes very slim.

Correa has received three yellow cards this season, and Saturday’s incident was his first red card.