Benitez goof may send Madrid out of Copa del Rey

Benitez goof may send Madrid out of Copa del Rey

Thursday, December 3, 2015 1:01 am


Cheryshev: has put Benitez and Real Madrid in trouble

Cheryshev: has put Benitez and Real Madrid in trouble

Coach Rafa Benitez error in fielding Russian midfielder, Denis Cheryshev may lead to the expulsion of  Real Madrid  from Copa Del Rey.

Madrid got off to a flying start, beating  Cadiz  3-1, with Cheryshev scoring  just three minutes into the game, but as  it turned out, Cheryshev shouldn’t have been playing at all.

Cheryshev was booked three times in the Copa del Rey while playing for on loan for Villarreal last year, earning him an automatic one-match ban,  that carries over to this season. That suspension was to apply for this match, but apparently no one ever relayed that news to Madrid manager Rafa Benitez, because he put Cheryshev into his starting lineup.

After the mistake was revealed on Twitter, Cadiz and Madrid fans started chanting “Benitez mira Twitter” Benitez, look at Twitter. Rafa apparently finally got the memo as the second half was beginning, as Cheryshev was subbed out just 45 seconds into the half.

Rafa Benitez: I was not aware of Cheryshev's ineligibility

Rafa Benitez: I was not aware of Cheryshev’s ineligibility

It was not the first time Benitez has gotten his team in trouble for fielding ineligible players in the Copa del Rey. In 2001, his Valenica team was kicked out of the Copa for fielding too many players from outside the European Union.

Cadiz has until Thursday to officially lodge a complaint with the Spanish FA, and then punishment will be determined.

Benitez and Cheryshev at half time

Benitez and Cheryshev at half time

They could be kicked out, or their win could be voided and replaced with a 3-0 win for Cadiz. That would give Real the chance to play their way back to a win in the tie in the second leg in Madrid on December 16th.

Meanwhile Benitez has denied fielding the player intentionally.

“The club had no idea,” he told reporters after the game.

“The Federation did not let us know and as soon as we found out we substituted him. Villarreal and the Federation did not reveal this.”

Cheryshev, the player at the centre of the problem also  spoke to the club’s official media after the game against Cádiz: “I did not receive any notification from Villarreal to inform me that I had been banned from playing in the Copa del Rey”.

Reported by SBNation.com


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