UEFA has formally charged Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos for purposefully picking up a yellow card against Ajax in the first leg clash of the Champions League Round of 16. The Spanish defender attracted a disciplinary investigation after admitting that he wanted to be booked in the encounter which saw his side ran away with a 2-1 win at Amsterdam.

With Los Blancos leading in the 89th minute, Ramos was shown a yellow card – the 32-year-old defender's third booking of this season's European campaign. The consequence of the sanction was that he will be banned from the second leg clash with Ajax in Madrid.

In return, Ramos will be eligible to feature in the quarterfinals and subsequent phases as he will not have to look over his shoulder for any unforeseen suspension due to his accumulated yellow cards. In the post-match interview following the meeting with Ajax, Ramos admitted to breaking UEFA's rules.

The Real Madrid defender said: "Looking at the result I would be lying if I said it wasn't intentional. "It's something I was thinking about, it's not to underestimate the opponent nor say the tie is over but in football, you have to take difficult decisions so I decided to do it."

Ramos subsequently withdrew his statements with a Twitter post. However, upon further probing into the misconduct by UEFA, the Real Madrid defender is now in line for an additional ban. The Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will hear the case on Thursday, February 28.