JUDE'S FINE Jude Bellingham set to escape with fine for groin-grab goal celebration thanks to footage from LaLiga match

The FA will argue that the ace pulled a similar gesture after hitting the back of the net in Real Madrid's 3-2 ­victory over Barcelona in April – proving Sunday's ­display was not a dig aimed  at the Slovakian team.

England's Jude Bellingham could escape with a fine over groin-grab goal celebration

Footage from a Real Madrid match. where the player made a similar gesture, could help Jude's case

Bellingham faced a ban over claims the antics after his  95th-minute bicycle-kick equaliser were directed at  the rival bench.

He  has vowed it was a ­private joke with pals and the Slovakian team are not demanding charges.

That means he will be hit with a five-figure fine, leaving him free to play in the rest of the tournament, according to German newspaper Bild.

Fans hope footage from El Clasico – the name for any clash between the top-flight ­Spanish teams – will help clear him.

Factory worker Ryan Walker, 32, of Birmingham, said: "There's no way he should be banned."

Ex-Arsenal hero Paul ­Merson added:  "It was just a release – I don't see much wrong with it myself."

The Three Lions face ­Switzerland in tomorrow's quarter-final  in Dusseldorf.

Bellingham wouldn't be the first star to face a financial penalty over a pitch gesture.

In 2019, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone was fined £17,000  for a similar one during his side's 2-0 win over Juventus. Cristiano Ronaldo was later told to pay 20,000 euros for mimicking it.