Ramos may face another UEFA ban for entering tunnel

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos could miss the first leg of the Champions League semi-final if found guilty of breaching UEFA rules after watching the final minutes of his team’s game against Juventus on Wednesday from the tunnel while serving a one-match ban.

The defender was suspended and watched most of the quarterfinal return leg from the Santiago Bernabeu stands before walking down to the tunnel as the final minutes unfolded.

Ramos was in the tunnel, considered part of the technical zone, when referee Michael Oliver awarded Madrid a penalty following Mehdi Benatia’s challenge on Lucas Vazquez and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon’s subsequent sending-off.

The 32-year-old will only be punished if his actions are noted in the game report by either the official or a UEFA delegate.

A similar situation occurred in 2014, when former Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso was banned and unable to play in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid, yet ran down the touchline to celebrate after teammate Gareth Bale scored to put Real Madrid up 2-1 in extra time.

As a result, UEFA punished Alonso for one game for a “breach of general principles of conduct,” and he served that ban the following month in the UEFA Super Cup game against Sevilla.

Madrid, who lost 3-1 but progressed 4-3 on aggregate, will find out in Friday’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland, who their semifinal opponents will be.