Scandal in Spanish soccer: two Valladolid players fought on the bench

Real Valladolid is not going through the best of times, currently sitting last in La Liga with just 16 points in 30 matches, and the 0-4 defeat suffered this Sunday against Getafe further aggravated the situation. Moreover, as if that weren't enough, during this last match, a tense situation was experienced on the bench of the Pucela team, where there was a fight between two of its players that quickly went viral.

At 15 minutes into the second half, Juanmi Latasa was substituted by the Venezuelan Darwin Machís. Upset by the partial result (0-3), the 24-year-old Spanish forward began a heated argument with some teammates, including Luis Pérez, a defender who hadn't played in the match. The tension quickly escalated.

Latasa, visibly irritated, expressed: "it's a horrible mess... Don't you see that we're not doing anything like this? This is a mess..." That statement, along with other phrases that weren't fully understood, caused Luis Pérez to stand up furiously and throw a punch that didn't land thanks to the intervention of the Swiss defender Eray Cümart.

However, the confrontation didn't end there. Latasa confronted him with a "shut up, Luis, come on... You're one to talk, machine." That was the final spark. Pérez left the bench directly to the locker rooms. Shortly after, Iván Sánchez, who wears the number 10 jersey, angrily hit the back of his seat.

At the end of the match, the coach Álvaro Rubio, who took over in the middle of this disastrous season, tried to calm the situation. He explained that "these are situations that are difficult to handle" and added: "I don't know what happened, but it's not the best image we can give. They are two players who are friends. These are moments of great tension that arise like this, and we have to avoid them."

Hours after the episode, the club issued an official statement: "Real Valladolid wants to express its strong condemnation of the incident that occurred today on the bench between players Luis Pérez and Juan Miguel Latasa during the match against Getafe CF. We deeply regret the image presented by our players. The frustration that the sporting situation leads us all to must be turned into more commitment, better attitude, and greater performance, never into division and confrontation. Therefore, in defense of the Club's image and respect toward the rest of the teammates and, especially, our fans, Real Valladolid will proceed to apply the General Disciplinary Regulations with both players."

It is important to remember that in February of this year, rumors of internal conflicts had already arisen after a defeat against Villarreal. On that occasion, the club publicly denied the reports.

A few hours ago, the players involved came out to apologize for the reprehensible episode: "There is no sporting result or frustration caused by it that justifies the loss of respect or the behavior we both had yesterday on the bench during the match against Getafe CF. Aware of this, of the harm that the action and reaction cause to others, we want, through this statement, to apologize to our teammates, the Club, and the Real Valladolid fans for what happened. We have conveyed this in person to the teammates, the Technical Staff, and everyone who is part of the Club during today's training. We now apologize to the fans, without any excuse to justify our behavior and from the humility of those who have made a mistake and seek to repair the damage caused. We will comply with and accept the disciplinary measures that the Club deems appropriate."

The team, which achieved its promotion to the first division in May 2024, now faces the threat of a new relegation. Currently, the Pucela team is last with 16 points, 14 behind Alavés, which for now would maintain the category, and with only 24 points in play.