Getafe boss Cosmin Contra has revealed that it was his decision to leave Pedro Leon out of the 3-0 defeat to Valencia.
The winger was not registered by Getafe before the start of the season as to have done so would have taken the club past its wage limited imposed by La Liga.
However, despite having been given permission by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to play in the game, Leon still did not have authorisation from the Spanish League (LFP), and Contra said he was unwilling to risk the winger in case Getafe were subsequently punished for fielding an ineligible player.
“It was my decision not to play him. I wasn’t going to risk the work of all the staff over the Pedro Leon issue,” the Romanian informed reporters post-match.
“I feel sorry for Pedro as he knows I consider him one of my squad, so it’s not a good situation for us to be in.
“Before the game they were saying that if we selected him than we ran the risk of losing the three points. I hope that they sort it out quickly and the sooner the better.
“I’m trying to not let this affect the team but it’s all anybody talks about, so I’m finding it very hard to do my job.”
With regard to the match, Contra felt his players did not follow the instructions he had given them beforehand and lamented the number of injuries his side are picking up.
“We knew Valencia were dangerous on the break and they caught us out for the first two goals. It was difficult at 0-2 and I’m disappointed as we were sleeping from the start.
“But every day I have fewer players. Every day someone gets injured, although we all need to improve, including me, and I don’t know if I’m getting over to the players what I want.
“When you lose 3-0 at home I don’t know if there is anything positive to take from it. We gave away two goals to a team that is lethal on the counter-attack,” he concluded.
