Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde is reportedly at risk of a 12-game ban for allegedly punching Villarreal's Alex Baena after their La Liga contest on April 8.
The 24-year-old was brought off the bench for the final 31 minutes of that 3-2 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Baena started and completed 90 minutes for the visitors.
After the game, Baena was alleged to have made a comment to Valverde about his unborn child in the wake of the Uruguayan's partner experiencing problems during pregnancy.
Valverde reportedly reacted by throwing a punch at the 21-year-old in the team buses parking area, and Baena was subsequently seen with a swollen and bruised cheekbone.
In the wake of the astonishing incident, Baena took to social media to deny claims about the comments he made while alleging that he suffered "aggression" from an unidentified assailant.
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Villarreal also released a statement saying that Baena was "assaulted" when leaving the stadium, and a complaint had been filed to the National Police.
The matter will also be investigated by an independent disciplinary body of the Spanish FA from Wednesday, and The Athletic claims that Valverde could be facing a maximum punishment of a 12-game ban.
Both Valverde and Baena will be asked to give evidence, and if the former is found guilty of punching the Villarreal man, he will serve at least four and potentially as many as 12 suspended matches.
However, with the incident occurring outside of the stadium once the game had finished, the report adds that the presiding judge may not have the power to hand down a suspension given that it did not take place during the match.
It could supposedly take up to a month for the case to be concluded, meaning that Valverde's participation in the Copa del Rey final on May 6 versus Osasuna should not be impacted.
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Los Blancos will enjoy a relatively gentle end to the La Liga season, although they still have to face European-chasing Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao during the final few weeks of the campaign.
Valverde has once again proven to be a crucial cog in Carlo Ancelotti's team this season, posting 12 goals and five assists from 46 matches in all competitions.
The former Penarol youngster played the full 90 in Real's 2-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Chelsea a few days after the fracas with Baena, and he completed 80 minutes while setting up Marco Asensio's goal in Saturday's 2-0 win over Cadiz in La Liga.
Valverde has been named in Ancelotti's squad for the second leg of their European tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Ben Knapton
