Real Madrid News
Federico Valverde does not regret punching Alex Baena – report
Last Saturday saw Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde spark major controversy as he punched Villarreal star Alex Baena in the face in the bus park area of the Santiago Bernabeu following the La Liga encounter between the two teams.
Valverde’s entourage alleged that the midfielder’s actions were sparked by distasteful and incendiary comments made by Baena towards the Uruguayan’s wife and the pregnancy complications she had faced earlier this year.
But, Baena came out and declined those claims while also going on to file a complaint on Valverde with the National Police.
The Real Madrid midfielder has largely been quiet on the matter, apart from a brief media interaction earlier this week when he said he was doing fine.
Now, The Athletic’s Mario Cortegana has come up with a fresh report detailing the situation that Valverde finds himself in currently after the incident with Baena.
As per the report, the midfielder is currently under no investigation from the Spanish Football Authorities as the incident was not reported in the referee’s official report.
Meanwhile, Valverde is understood to have made it known that he does not regret punching Baena as he continues to insist that the Villarreal midfielder made vile remarks about his family in January.
Real Madrid are understood to have instructed the Uruguayan international and his entourage to maintain silence on the matter, same as his lawyers.
Valverde, for his part, would prefer to speak openly on the matter but believes that it is best for the club for him to stay quiet on the matter for now.
As for any sporting sanctions, Monday could be a crucial day as the Anti-Violence Commission will study the case and make a decision on the matter.
They could either advise the Spanish FA to take the case, which could result in a possible two to four-match ban. In an alternate scenario, the Anti-Violence Commission itself could decide to punish Valverde, potentially leading to a ban on all sports-related activities for a period.
As things stand, though the Spanish FA sources have told The Athletic they do not expect Valverde to be banned.
In the meantime, Valverde is also waiting on any possible criminal charges after Baena’s complaint to the National Police.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia has triggered a wave of massive establishment within the country so much so that the league has approached players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos and even Karim Benzema.
Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid is imminent and if a report from Diaro AS is to be believed, the Frenchman contacted his former Madrid teammate, Ronaldo, to ask him for information about the Saudi league, living conditions and other teams.
All this because it is said that the legendary Frenchman has received a lucrative offer from the newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad. As reported before, the star striker will earn more than €100 million per year across his two-year contract with the Saudi team.
At the moment, the Saudi government has approved all of Benzema’s requests and while it is said that he can join the team of his choice, Al Ittihad’s recent flirting had made them absolute favourites.
That said, the transfer may have taken a u-turn recently, as Benzema spoke about staying at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
“Speak to the fans? Speak about what? Why should I speak of the future if I’m in Madrid?”, Benzema said.
“It’s the internet speaking, and reality is not the internet.”
In a recent turn of events, Helder Costa openly spoke about Benzema’s arrival, saying that his team is ‘excited about the arrival of the Balon d’Or winner.’ As if that is not enough, a club fan also showed a Karim Benzema edit on the big screen during their title celebrations.
Meanwhile, since the transfer is not confirmed, Real Madrid continue to be uninformed of Benzema’s decision. And this remains a major problem for the team from the capital city as their summer transfer plan hinges on the continuity of the Frenchman.
At the moment, the team is said to be closing in on the signing of Joselu from Espanyol. However, it must be noted that the forward will only be arriving on a season-long loan as Madrid already have big plans for the summer of 2024, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe both lined up.
