The Real Madrid superstar was England's hero with a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-1 win over Slovakia to set up a quarter-final against Switzerland on June 6. However, Bellingham now faces a possible ban after what was seen as an inappropriate and somewhat insulting gesture towards his opponent.

Jude Bellingham's goal celebration by "grabbing his crotch" has attracted a lot of public attention, with English fans "begging" UEFA not to suspend the young talent. Many believe Bellingham's actions signal that he has the ability to overcome the crisis, but others allude to the former Dortmund player insulting his opponents.

Bellingham, meanwhile, explained on social media: "An inside joke for some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but disrespect for the way Slovakia play." Bellingham has previously made similar comments while playing for Real Madrid, and after scoring a late equaliser for England in a friendly against Belgium in March.

After a beautiful bicycle kick in the 90+5 minute that helped the "Three Lions" escape defeat, the Real Madrid star and his teammates won 2-1 after Harry Kane scored to bring a 2-1 victory in extra time for the English team.

Gareth Southgate's side were assured immediately after the match that no disciplinary action would be taken for the action, but UEFA later reversed course despite the gesture not being mentioned in any of the match reports produced by the referees.

One fan from Birmingham said: "It's ridiculous. It's not offensive and Jude said so himself. Don't UEFA have anything better to do? We have no chance without Jude so we need to pray UEFA don't ban him." Another England fan told The Sun : "Are UEFA policing goal celebrations? If they want to crack down on behaviour and integrity, they should crack down on diving. Jude helped us stay in the Euros but without him we'd be out. He definitely shouldn't be banned. Save our Jude!"

It has been suggested that Bellingham may have breached article 11 2b on player conduct. A UEFA spokesperson said: "The UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectorate will investigate a potential breach of the basic rules of conduct by the player Jude Bellingham. Further information on this matter will be made public in due course."