Two Real Madrid fans have decided to take legal action against the club, claiming that the Spanish’s giants elimination from the Copa del Rey has caused them anguish. The duo are seeking compensation from the club, after filing for ‘moral damages’ in a Spanish court.
Curiously enough, the filing has come from a Catalan lawyer named Felipe Izquierdo in a Madrid court. The advocate filed on behalf of his clients, Raúl Giménez Guillem and Susana Castaño Caba, who are Real Madrid supporters.
According to Spanish news outlet Diario AS, the duo have claimed that Real Madrid’s elimination from the Copa del Rey, which resulted after the fielding of an ineligible player, Denis Cheryshev, has caused ‘bouts of anguish and helplessness’.
Real Madrid faced great ridicule in the aftermath of their elimination, due to the farcical nature of their outster, and these two fans have faced the brunt of taunts by opposition fans. They have filed for legal action against Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid, claiming that the club's ineptitude has caused them ‘moral and financial damage’, saying “We've had to endure being taunted in cafes and our place of work.”
Copa del Rey elimination haunts Real Madrid
The elimination from the Copa del Rey arose after Real Madrid fielded Denis Cheryshev in a cup match against Cadiz. The Russian winger was ineligible to play, as having earned 5 yellow cards for his previous club Villarreal, Cheryshev was banned for the first Copa del Rey match.
However, then Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez and his technical staff had failed to realize Cheryshev’s ineligibility and fielded him in the game against Cadiz. The Russian winger managed to score at the start of the game, and Madrid hastily substituted him after realizing their error, but by then it was too late.
Cadiz lost the game and lodged a complaint with Spanish football’s governing body, RFEF. Madrid organized a hasty press conference with Florentino Perez vowing to fight any sanctions in court, after alleging a lack of communication from the RFEF and Villarreal leaving Madrid uninformed. However, it did not matter as Real Madrid were thrown out of the competition, one of the reasons that led to Rafa Benitez’s sacking.
Guillem and Caba have faced the ridicule in the aftermath, but Real Madrid might have brought some cheer to the duo after Los Blancos 2-1 win over Barcelona in El Clasico.