Post-match Roundup/SCANDAL UPDATE -- please post any info you've seen in the comments!

[yeats]

so we won! yay!

but of course, the victory looks to have been in vain, as we very well may be expelled from the entire copa del rey competition for this year.

for those of you who were lucky/unlucky enough (i honestly can't tell) to miss yesterday's clusterfuck (wait, what are we gonna call this scandal? copagate? cheryshevpoli?) as it unfolded, here's the gist of it:

-dennis cheryshev was one of our starting players
-he scored in the 3rd minute
-very early on, reports began appearing on twitter that he was ineligible to play, due to having received a suspension at the end of last season (while playing for villareal) that should have carried over into this season:



-the cadiz fans had some great chants about this
-we won, but no one really cares about that, given that there most likely won't be a second leg.
-basically:


so, updates!

1. cadiz has definitely filed a formal complaint against us:
   Segunda B side Cadiz have asked the Spanish Football Federation to investigate why Denis Cheryshev played for Real Madrid when banned.
   
   Cadiz have confirmed they are taking the matter of Denis Cheryshev's ineligibility in Wednesday's Copa del Rey tie to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
   
   
   Real Madrid won the first leg of the last-32 tie 3-1, with Cheryshev opening the scoring, but reports broke during the match that the Russian forward should have been serving a one-match suspension after collecting three bookings while on loan at Villarreal last season.
   
   Cadiz president Manuel Vizcaino suggested in the immediate aftermath of the match at the Estadio Ramon de Carranza that they would ask the RFEF to take action, and that has been confirmed in a statement on Thursday morning.
   
   The statement read: "Cadiz CF have presented in the last few hours before the RFEF, a written complaint of alleged proper alignment of the football player Denis Cheryshev, as agreed unanimously at an extraordinary meeting of the board of directors.
   
   "This morning we have received communication from the RFEF that the letter has been received and they have given a deadline to Real Madrid to present the arguments they deem appropriate.
   
   "The club reiterates its utmost respect for Real Madrid and will not make any further statements until there is an announcement from the Competition Committee, who will dictate the magnitude of what happened." source


2. here's what the club's saying in our defense:
   Emilio Butragueño spoke to the media following the Cádiz game. The director of International Relations expressed Real Madrid's stance about fielding a supposedly ineligible player, Cheryshev: "The club were not notified about the sanction. We did not receive any form of notification from the Federation or from Villarreal and nor was the player informed about the circumstances".
   
   
   
   "This is not about looking for someone to take the blame. We are going to wait and see what happens. There is an article, 41 of the Spanish Football Federation's Disciplinary Code, it states that the possible sanction will not take effect if the interested party is not notified personally and the player was not notified. That is why Cheryshev was playing".
   
   "I spoke to the Federation tonight and we will see what happens over the coming hours. The ruling will be made on Friday and our legal representatives will have something to say. We can say little more, tell the truth about what happened, be cautious and careful. We have talked over the course of the night at the club with everyone involved and there is no record". realmadrid.com
   
   i have no idea whether this defense is legit, or if it'll even work. interesting, though, that they're taking the tack of putting the onus on cheryshev as the person who would be best informed about his status. and by interesting, i mean despicable.


3. rafa, for his part, claimed complete ignorance last night:
   The Russian's suspension apparently caught his boss by surprise, and he insisted that neither Villarreal nor the Spanish federation had mentioned the suspension
   
   Real Madrid head coach Rafael Benitez claims he was completely unaware of Denis Cheryshev's reported ineligibility against Cadiz during Wednesday's 3-1 Copa del Rey win.
   
   The Russian fired his club into the lead after just three minutes, but it later emerged that he was suspended for the clash having previously accrued three yellow cards.
   
   Benitez, however, insisted that Madrid did not know about the issue.
   
   "The club had no idea," he told reporters after the game.
   
   "The Federation did not let us know and as soon as we found out we substituted him. Villarreal and the Federation did not reveal this.
   
   "That is why he took him off straight way, we found out at half time when we were informed.
   
   "We acted in good faith, as soon as we found out we took him off."
   
   Pressed for further answers on the debacle, Benitez tried to steer the conversation towards the match action.
   
   "I have already answered, we did everything we could at this time," he affirmed.
   
   "I would like to congratulate my players again for what they did on the pitch."
   
   The infringement could lead to Madrid's expulsion from the competition, after Cadiz confirmed they would make an official complaint. source
   


4. as far as i know, no one's gotten a statement from cheryshev yet (so it's still possible sadlikeknives prediction that he'll be "sent to live on a farm in the country" is right), but isco was asked about it during the post-match press scrum. his response was -- very isco, and very telling of the attitude in the dressing room right now:
   
   Isco has admitted that he would “possibly” want Real Madrid expelled from the Copa del Rey if he were a Cadiz fan.
   
   Los Blancos face being ejected from the competition as Denis Cheryshev played the first half of their last-32 first leg, which ended 3-1 in their favour, despite appearing to have incurred a one-match ban for three yellow cards as a Villarreal player last season.
   
   “It was a good game for us. It was a good result for us away from home against a strong team like Cadiz and we played the ball really well,” the midfielder said after the game, in which he scored a brace.
   
   “Yes [we heard the Cheryshev chants]. Cadiz have always had a unique set of supporters.
   
   “I only heard about it just before the second half because I was treating my ankle in the dressing room.
   
   “It’s something to do with the club, it’s not really to do with me.
   
   “People at the club will have to look into it, but I’m just here to play on the pitch.
   
   “All I can say [other than that] is it’s a good result for us away from home.
   
   “You have to tip your hat off to James [Rodriguez], he’s a brilliant footballer and we need him.
   
   “We hope there will be a return match, but I’m not sure [if I’d want Madrid to be expelled as a Cadiz fan]... possibly!” source


5. note isco's public defense of james -- the two of them played really well together, with james assisting one of isco's goals, along with cheryshev's. here's what espnfc said of their performances: MF Isco, 9 -- Took advantage of great service from Casemiro and James to score two beautiful goals. His constant exchanging of positions with the Colombian gave Isco the chance to show what he does best. He excels with freedom and playing closer to the opposition's goal.
   
   MF James Rodriguez, 8 -- Two fantastic passes from the Colombian meant two goals for Real Madrid. His vision and skill with the ball are two of Madrid's biggest assets this season, and Benitez would do well to use him as often as possible in the second half of the campaign. source, with full team ratings
   


6. isco might also have been compelled to express his support given that things between james as rafa still seem pretty bad, at least based on this little interaction when rafa took james off:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   informadrid/mgef
   
   luckily, all this other stuff was such a shitshow that most coverage of the match seems to have skipped over it, so... that's something?

yeah, idk guys. everything is on fire.

please post updates, new info, thoughts, vents, etc. in the comments!