Fede Valverde BAN: Federico Valverde got involved in a row with Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena after the Real Madrid vs Villarreal match a week ago. Even though neither Baena nor Villarreal report the incident to the Spanish Football Federation, Baena still reported to the police about Valverde punching him after the end of the match. However, the Spanish FA will soon start their own investigation, so Valverde could still receive a maximum of a 12-match ban. Follow La Liga LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
Real Madrid have been showing poor form in La Liga for quite some time now. Hence, tension was already high when Real Madrid lost the match to Villarreal and dropped points again. Matters seemed to go out of hand as news started to arrive that Real Madrid’s star midfielder waited for Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena in the car parking area after the match and then proceeded to punch him.
Baena took to social media to put out the message, “Very happy with the impressive victory for the team on a stage like the Santiago Bernabeu, but at the same time very sad about the aggression I suffered after the match.” Villarreal also released a statement later on saying they support their player as Baena lodged a complaint with the police regarding the matter.
As Valverde was later asked for an explanation of his behaviour, he said it traces back to Real Madrid’s match against Villarrreal in January. He said that there was a pregnancy scare regarding the player’s unborn child around that time. Apparently, Baena made some insulting comments in January regarding the matter saying, “Cry, because your child won’t be born.” As per Valverde, Baena made similar comments again that day, so Valverde lost his temper.
Even though the matter was reported to the police, neither the player nor the club reported the matter to the Spanish Football Federation. However, as per reports, Spanish FA’s competition committee has already gotten involved. They will start their own investigation regarding the incident on April 19, Wednesday and then they will decide on an effective punishment if they deem it needed.
🚨 Mario Cortegana (The Athletic): If found guilty by the Spanish FA’s committee, Fede Valverde could serve a 4-12 game ban for punching Villarreal’s Baena. The case is unlikely to be resolved for at least a month, so Valverde will be free to play in the Copa del Rey final. pic.twitter.com/MuMmr3gHSC
— Real Madrid News (@onlyrmcfnews) April 17, 2023
They could ask both Valverde and Baena to give an interview on the accounts of the incident. If they decide on a punishment, it could vary from a minimum of 4 matches to a maximum of 12 matches. However, the judge could also decide on ‘no punishments’ because the incident did not occur during the game and was not reported in the referee’s notes either. Hence, they could deem it to be out of their jurisdiction.
No matter the results, it will take over a month for the committee to complete its investigation. Hence, Valverde will be available to play in some of Real Madrid’s coming tough fixtures including –
- 18th April – Chelsea vs Real Madrid – Champions League quarter-final second leg
- 3rd May – Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid – La Liga
- 6th May – Real Madrid vs Osasuna – Copa Del Rey final
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