Real Madrid will today discover whether they have been expelled from this season’s Copa del Rey as they await the verdict of RFEF’s Competition Committee.
Los Blancos stand accused of fielding an ineligible player in Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz on Wednesday, despite Florentino Perez’s pleas his club were not notified that the Russian’s one-match ban for three yellow cards as a Villarreal player would be carried over from last season.
The President also made it clear that Madrid would exhaust all legal avenues to remain in the Copa, yet while there is every chance the committee will kick Madrid out of the competition, Marca reports the capital giants have a trick up their sleeve.
The trick comes in the guise of a similar case last season involving Lorca’s women’s team and their goalkeeper Laura Gallego.
Gallego was sent off against Maritim on September 21 of last year but played Lorca’s next match, with the club believing the player was eligible as they had not yet received confirmation of her suspension.
Lorca were subsequently punished by the Competition Committee but took the case to the Appeals Committee of Spain’s Administrative Tribunal for Sport (TAD), where they stated in their arguments that details of the ban were sent to a fax number no longer used by the club.
The RFEF did not deny that to be the case but responded the side could have simply checked the federation’s website if they were unsure and acknowledged the absence of another banned player in the corresponding match.
However, the RFEF’s riposte was rejected by TAD, who eventually upheld Lorca’s punishment and concluded they were not guilty of naming an improper line-up.
Osasuna, on the other hand, are absent from the 2015-16 Copa after they were found guilty of a similar act last season.
