Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano has been fined 2,000 euros ($2,563) for confronting the referee at halftime during his side's 2-1 aggregate victory over Sevilla in the King's Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Valdano took referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez to task over the sending off of Real Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane was given a direct red card in the last minute of the first half for striking Sevilla defender Pablo Alfaro in the face with his hand as the two challenged for the ball.
"We consider that a director of any club should ensure that he behaves in a sporting manner at all times," said Alfredo Florez, president of the Spanish Football Federation's competition committee.
"He (Valdano) did not do this when he criticised the actions of the referee during the halftime interval. Although he did not insult the referee directly, the pressure he put on him merits a medium-sized economic punishment."
The Federation also rejected Real's appeal to have Zidane's automatic one-match ban overturned so that he could play in this weekend's top-of-the-table clash against Valencia.
© 2024 Rediff.com -