Alex Baena of Villarreal has filed criminal charges against Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde following an altercation between the two after the match between the two teams at Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday.
According to a club statement, the 21-year-old was assaulted when he was on his way to the team bus following his side’s 3-2 win over the Spanish champions.
Villarreal did not mention Valverde by name.
Villarreal CF rejects any act of violence and firmly believes in the player’s version of events and will support him throughout the process, the club statement added.
Alex Baena himself referred to the incident on his Instagram but again did not mention Federico Valverde by name.
Very happy with the team’s impressive victory in a venue like the Santiago Bernabeu, but at the same time very sad for the aggression, I suffered after the match, he wrote on the social media platform.
Valverde could now face both criminal and sporting sanctions if found guilty.
Since the incident occurred inside the stadium Competition Committee can decide to take up the case which could end with the Uruguayan being handed a ban from participating in matches.
If he is found guilty of criminal charges, the sanctions could be worse.
Madrid’s loss to Villarreal all but ended their chances of retaining their La Liga crown as they remain 12 points behind leaders Barcelona who have a game in hand.
If Valverde is handed a ban, their task will become even harder as the 24-year-old has become a mainstay in Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
