Jude Bellingham has been handed a one-match suspended ban for his celebration against Slovakia - but he may not miss a second of game-time for England. The 21-year-old midfielder was hit with a €30,000 (£25,000) fine and a suspended one-match ban for his crotch-grabbing gesture after scoring the late equaliser in Gareth Southgate's side's narrow Round of 16 victory over Slovakia.
UEFA launched an investigation into the incident that left England fans worried that he may be forced to miss the vital quarter-final clash against Switzerland, and ruled his gesture was in breach of "the basic rules of decent conduct".
Nevertheless, Bellingham will still be allowed to play against the Swiss tomorrow, which will be a huge relief for Southgate and the midfielder's team-mates.
Related articles
Bellingham will only be barred from a UEFA-related match if he breaches any regulations in the following 12 months. If his behaviour does not contravene any UEFA laws during this time then he will not miss a single minute of football.
The Real Madrid star denied that the celebration was intended as a disrespectful gesture towards the Slovakians and was instead an "inside-joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game". He also said he had "nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played".
Bellingham will most likely be in Southgate's first eleven on Saturday having started the previous four matches. There are rumours that the former Middlesbrough chief is planning to revert to a back three following the suspension of the impressive Marc Guehi.
England's performance in Germany has been underwhelming, leading to fans demanding that underperforming stars such as Bellingham, Phil Foden, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka be benched. However, it is believed that Southgate has no plans to do so.
A win against Switzerland would see England progress to their third semi-final in four major tournaments, where they would face the victors of the Netherlands vs Turkey match for a place in the final.
Bellingham has scored two of England's four goals in Germany, with the other two being contributed by Kane. Overall, the former Birmingham City captain has helped himself to five goals in 33 international appearances for the Three Lions.
