Real Madrid have been expelled from this season’s Copa del Rey for wrongfully fielding the suspended Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz on Wednesday.
Despite Florentino Perez’s protestations on Thursday that Los Blancos were innocent of any wrongdoing by playing the Russian winger at Ramon de Carranza, the Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) Competition Commission has found the club guilty.
They have also been fined €6,001 for what the commission described “a forced and feeble argument” from the capital giants, also accusing the player of “apathy” for his failure to notify his employers of the one-game ban for three yellow cards he incurred while on loan at Villarreal last term.
Madrid are now expected to take the case to the Appeals Committee, although it is believed it will act in line with its Competition counterpart, making the country’s Administrative Tribunal (TAD) their next port of call.