Sent off for elbow in Champions League, Ethan Mbappé apologises and awaits UEFA sanction

Ethan Mbappé faces a suspension of three to five Champions League matches after his red card on Tuesday night during LOSC’s 2-3 defeat to Real Betis in the opening match of the league phase.

In the 56th minute, following Betis’s third goal, the 19-year-old attacking midfielder threw an elbow to the face of Seville defender Natan. The referee, alerted by VAR, showed the red card. That same evening, Mbappé apologised on social media before addressing his teammates in the dressing room.

“Ethan apologised. He spoke in front of everyone, his teammates,” Davide Ancelotti confirmed at a press conference on Friday, refusing to criticise his player. “Now, my role is to help him learn from this. I don’t want to point fingers at a player. It’s something that happened. He understood it. We shouldn’t dwell on it.”

The Lille manager nevertheless reminded everyone of the weight of collective responsibility: “We represent LOSC. Behind a match, there are teammates, there is the staff, there are supporters, there is an entire institution. We know that if we make mistakes, it’s the institution that can pay the price too. Ethan knows that. But it’s done.”

On what comes next, Carlo Ancelotti’s son remained confident: “I’m not going to judge him on this. I will continue to help him progress. He’s someone with very good values. I think he won’t repeat these gestures.”

The former Paris player now awaits the decision of UEFA’s disciplinary body. According to Article 15 of the European disciplinary regulations, conduct classified as “brutality” carries a minimum suspension of three matches. If UEFA determines the conduct constitutes “serious foul play” after reviewing the referee’s report, the sanction could be increased to five matches.