Real Madrid’s appeal to overturn key midfielder’s one-match suspension rejected
Real Madrid’s appeal to overturn key midfielder’s one-match suspension rejected Federico Valverde was shown a red card in Real Madrid’s recent clash against Atletico Madrid for a rash challenge on Alex Baena, one that the referee deemed sufficient to have the player sent off. The midfielder was handed a one-match ban as a result , meaning he will miss the upcoming game against RCD Mallorca. Los Blancos , however, remain firm on their stance that the red card was given due to the past between the two players and that it would only have been a yellow card had any other player been at the receiving end.
As a result of their staunch belief, the men in white filed an appeal to have the one-match suspension overturned. Appeal rejected However, as reported by Diario AS , the RFEF Appeals Committee rejected Real Madrid’s claim and has upheld the decision made by the RFEF Competitions Committee to hand Valverde a one-match suspension. Thus, the player will miss Real Madrid’s upcoming game and will not be available when the team takes on Mallorca immediately after the international break as he must serve a one-game ban.
Valverde was sent off against Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) Los Blancos’ claim against the situation was that the referee was mistaken in his report. They claim that Valverde’s tackle was not ‘without being at a distance to play the ball’ and that the midfielder was well within range of winning possession.
The committee, however, did not find the video proof attached satisfactory enough to overturn the suspension and stated that the action was a part of play and will be considered a direct consequence of it. Valverde will thus feature next for Real Madrid in the team’s game against Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal. For the Mallorca clash, Alvaro Arbeloa must work out a formula to minimise the void left by his absence.