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Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde could reportedly be sanctioned for up to 12 games for assaulting Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena on April 9.
According to the Spanish outlet MARCA, the National Anti-Violence Commission met on Monday (April 17) to discuss the altercation between Valverde and Baena. Upon discussion, the committee has transferred it over to the Committee of Competition. The Committee of Competition will now investigate and determine the sporting sanction on the Uruguay international.
It has been reported that once the investigation is opened and statements from both parties are heard, Valverde could be suspended for four to 12 games. It is to be noted that the Committee of Competition has taken up the investigation not at the request of Villarreal but at the instruction of the National Anti-Violence Commission.
Next Wednesday, the RFEF body will meet to go over the complaint filed by Baena at a Castellón Police station. It will also go through the report the police filed after investigating the incident at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The investigation is expected to take a minimum of one-and-a-half months to conclude.
As per the aforementioned source, Madrid are seeing the involvement of the Committee of Competition as a positive thing for Valverde’s career. If it were a criminal investigation, the player could have been suspended for one to six months for aggression, as per the new sports law.
According to sources, Valverde assaulted Baena in the bus parking area of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium following Real Madrid's 3-2 defeat to Villarreal on April 9.
It has been claimed that Baena made a crude remark about Valverde’s unborn child back during Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey meeting in January. Valverde and his partner were going through a miscarriage scare at the time. It has been reported that Baena made a similar remark on April 9, causing Valverde to lose his cool.
Fede Valverde has been one of Real Madrid’s best players this season
Fede Valverde played 46 matches as Real Madrid won the La Liga, Champions League, and Supercopa de Espana treble in the 2021-22 season. While his pace, stamina, and pressing proved to be instrumental, he was not quite effective in front of goal, scoring only once and claiming two assists across competitions.
Valverde has added goals to his game this season, becoming a considerably more complete player. He has scored a staggering 12 times and claimed five assists in 46 games in all competitions, emerging as the team’s third-leading scorer behind Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior.
Considering that Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has primarily deployed him in midfield, and not on the right wing like last season, the numbers are all the more impressive.
