Real Madrid thrown out of Copa del Rey

Real Madrid have been thrown out of the Copa del Rey for fielding Denis Cheryshev in their tie with Cadiz.

Rafael Benitez selected Cheryshev for the first leg of his side's last-32 tie on Wednesday, with the midfielder opening the scoring in a 3-1 victory.

Reports soon emerged that Cheryshev should have been serving a suspension for picking up three yellow cards in the competition while on loan at Villarreal last season.

Real president Florentino Perez and Benitez both stated that they were not told about the ban, but the Spanish Football Federation has responded to Cadiz's appeal by eliminating Los Blancos from the competition.

A list of suspended players was reportedly released at the start of the season, and after Perez insisted that Real had not broken any rules, the club is expected to appeal the decision.