Antony available vs. Madrid as red card rescinded

Antony will be available to play for Real Betis against Real Madrid on Saturday after the Spanish football federation (RFEF) overturned his red card in Betis’ 2-1 win at Getafe last weekend.

The forward — who has starred for Betis since joining on loan from Manchester United in January — had played well at the Coliseum, before being sent off in the 94th minute for a challenge on Getafe’s Juan Iglesias.

Betis appealed to the RFEF’s disciplinary committee, providing video evidence, and arguing that there was a “material error” in the referee’s report, which had said that the Brazil international had used “excessive force” with “no possibility of winning the ball.”

In a ruling released on Wednesday, the committee found that after reviewing the footage, Antony had “at no time stopped looking at the ball” which he had “tried to intercept with his left foot” with “no intention to make contact with the Getafe player.”

Antony will therefore be available to play for Betis as they host Real Madrid at the Benito Villamarín Stadium in LaLiga on Saturday, in a major boost for the home side.

The Brazil international has scored two goals in four LaLiga appearances for Betis so far, with a significant improvement in the form that saw him struggle at United following his €95 million ($99.7m) move from Ajax in September 2022.