Barbados Today

Real Madrid have been expelled from this season’s Copa del Rey for fielding ineligible player Denis Cheryshev in Wednesday evening’s last-32 first leg game at Cadiz which they won 3-1.

Official statements from the Spanish FA (RFEF) and the club were due later today, once the competition committee completed its daily cases, but Real Madrid are now expected to ask the Spanish government to overturn the decision.

Cheryshev, usually on the fringes of the Madrid first team, started against the third-tier side and scored his team’s opener, but during the game it emerged that he was suspended having been booked three times in the competition when on loan at Villarreal last term.

After the game Cadiz decided to officially appeal to the RFEF -\ and on Friday morning the governing body’s ruling judge and legal expert Francisco Rubio followed procedure and rejected both defences presented by Real Madrid.

Blancos president Florentino Perez said on Thursday that he did not accept his club were responsible, as nobody had informed them that Cheryshev was banned, and said he intended to appeal any punishment to the Spanish sports ministry’s Administrative Court for Sport. He had earlier argued that the punishment would have been made null after the first three rounds of the Copa.

Ex-Madrid player and now Getafe B coach Ruben de la Red told Marca that Madrid’s coach Rafael Benitez should not be blamed for what had happened, and said that he has been “amazed” at the recent string of events at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

“As a coach, if it happened to me I would get annoyed at not knowing I could not pick a certain player,” de la Red said. “As a fan, you are just amazed at what has gone on at Real Madrid.”

Should Los Blancos fail in their appeal, it would be the first time that Real Madrid fail to reach the Round of 16 since 2009-10 when they were knocked out by a third division club.