Gareth Bale faces threat of 12-game ban, here's why
What's the story
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has, once again, found himself in hot soup. This time, it is due to an offensive hand gesture he directed towards the fans, after scoring a goal in the Madrid derby. His action could see him being handed a 12-match suspension by the Spanish Football Federation. Notably, Real Madrid won the match against Atletico 3-1.
Gesture
What was the offensive gesture that has alarmed authorities?
During the match against Atletico Madrid, the Welshman managed to net in his 100th goal for Real Madrid. However, while celebrating, he bent one of his hands and hit it with the other, a gesture which is considered offensive in Spanish culture. Bale could face a ban of 4 to 12 games if the Spanish Football Federation finds him guilty.
Toshack
What has Toshack said regarding the Wales captain?
In another controversy involving Bale, Toshack, former Real Madrid manager, said that he needs to put in an effort to learn Spanish out of respect for the club's fans. When footballers play in a different country, they usually try to learn the native language to communicate well with the fans. However, Bale has made no such effort in his six years with Los Blancos.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid fans don't want Bale in starting line-up
With his injuries and controversies, it seems like Gareth Bale has fallen out of favor with Real Madrid fans. Spanish newspaper AS had carried out an online poll which revealed that 54% of Real Madrid fans do not want Bale to feature in their starting line-up. However, fans cannot be blamed since Bale has hardly proved his worth this season.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid want to keep Bale with them
It looks like Bale's stint with Madrid will continue. Even though, Bale has been a target of Manchester United for long, but they will probably fail to acquire his signature once again. Real Madrid have a buyout clause of £900 million for Bale which will be impossible to meet. Moreover, Madrid haven't yet signed any big names, and thus will not let him go.