“Benitez look at Twitter, Cheryshev can’t play.”
That was the chant that rang out from the Estadio Ramón de Carranza terraces on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid’s Denis Cheryshev had just opened the scoring for the visitors but the Cadiz fans continued to laugh and smile with the knowledge that the Russian should have been suspended for the game and the fact that Real Madrid had fielded an ineligible player could mean that they would be thrown out of the competition.
Breaking: Real Madrid might be disqualified from the Copa del Rey for playing Cheryshev who was ineligible for tonight's game.More to follow
— AS USA (@English_AS) December 2, 2015
Cheryshev picked up three yellow cards in last season’s Copa del Rey when on loan with Villareal so should have been serving a one-match ban for this week’s game.
Osasuna were booted out of the tournament last season for fielding an ineligible player so the precedent has been set and it looks like a massive oversight from Rafa Benitez and Co.
Looks like Cheryshev supposed to be ineligible as got 3 yellows playing at Villarreal last season [third is semi return v Barcelona].
— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 2, 2015
It’s up to Cadiz to launch an official complaint but, if they do so, that’s one less piece of silverware that Benitez is going to deliver this season.
