Sergio Ramos banned additional European match for yellow card

UEFA's disciplinary panel on Thursday handed Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos a two-match ban for deliberately getting a yellow card to control the timing of a Champions League sanction.

Ramos will face the additional suspension from the first leg of the quarterfinals if Madrid advance from the round of 16 against Ajax.

He provoked a 90th-minute yellow card -- his third of the competition -- after Madrid took a 2-1 lead in the first leg in Amsterdam two weeks ago.

That foul triggered a one-game ban to be served in the second leg at home on March 5, when Madrid is heavily favoured.

Ramos reportedly acknowledged his intentions in a postgame interview, then retracted it on Twitter.

UEFA, in its decision, opted "to suspend the Real Madrid CF player Sergio Ramos for two (2) UEFA competition matches for which he would be otherwise eligible for clearly receiving a yellow card on purpose. The two-match suspension includes the automatic one-match suspension for the repeated cautions."