Real Madrid News
La Liga president reacts to Valverde-Baena incident: “Doesn’t justify what happened”
La Liga president Javier Tebas has finally had his say on the incident that took place between Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde and Villarreal ace Alex Baena last weekend.
After the La Liga match between the two sides at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night, Valverde is understood to have punched Baena in the bus park area.
Valverde’s entourage claim that the midfielder’s actions were provoked by distasteful remarks made by Baena towards the Real Madrid star’s wife’s pregnancy complications.
It was alleged that the Villarreal midfielder had made incendiary comments during the Copa del Rey match between the two clubs back in January and did so again this past Saturday, leading to Valverde punching him.
While Villarreal did not file a complaint, Baena himself took the matter to the National Police and filed assault charges against Valverde. In an official statement, the 21-year-old said that he had never made any such remarks as was being reported.
The Anti-Violence Commission has also gotten involved in the scene and Tebas has now said that the decision on the sanctions for the Real Madrid star will be decided by the commission. Furthermore, he stated that while Valverde might have been provoked, it does not justify his actions.
“The Anti-violence Commission has taken the matter into its own hands and we are going to wait. It is still an aggression that takes place in a league stadium,” Tebas said (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
“I think the provocation is a mitigating factor but it doesn’t justify what happened. It will be the Anti-Violence Commission or the Competition Committee. It is a reprehensible act.”
Earlier today, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti and defender David Alaba refused to comment on the incident during their press conference ahead of the match against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Only time will tell how things proceed with Valverde and what kind of sanctions he might face for the actions against Baena.
Real Madrid prospect Alexis Ciria will have to wait for his Champions League opportunity despite making a strong impression on Jose Mourinho during pre-season.
The Castilla winger has been left out of Real Madrid’s European squad, but the decision is the consequence of UEFA registration rules rather than a sporting judgment.
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez (h/t Defensa Central), Ciria was not eligible for Madrid’s List B because he has not been with the club long enough to satisfy UEFA’s requirements.
Registering him would therefore have required Mourinho to include him on the more restrictive List A.
UEFA rules work against Ciria
List B provides clubs with additional flexibility to register young academy players, but being young enough is not sufficient on its own.
Players must also meet requirements concerning how long they have been eligible to represent the club.
Ciria does not meet those conditions because of his limited time at Valdebebas. Real Madrid would therefore have needed to sacrifice a List A position to register him.
With those places required for members of Mourinho’s senior squad, Ciria was ultimately left out.
Real Madrid’s List B instead includes youngsters such as Joan Martinez, Mario Rivas, Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero and Daniel Yanez.
Many of these youngsters made a name for themselves under Mourinho during pre-season and could be used to make up the numbers in the Champions League squad.
They could also get some minutes off the bench, especially against relatively easier opposition, as Jose Mourinho looks to manage first-team minutes.
Mourinho still plans first-team opportunity
Importantly for Ciria, missing the Champions League squad does not appear to reflect a change in Mourinho’s opinion of him.
The youngster impressed during pre-season and is expected to continue spending time around the senior team.
Mourinho intends to give Ciria his official first-team debut during the season. That opportunity will now have to arrive in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.
The Portuguese tactician placed a lot of emphasis on trusting Castilla players during pre-season in the absence of first-team stars.
Ciria was one of the many names who made a name for themselves at Real Madrid during pre-season. He deserves a chance in the first team, and it remains to be seen how Jose plans his development.
