getting this out of the way…

Let’s get all the non-agreeable news out of the way, so we can start enjoying being madridistas again!

Yesterday, UEFA handed down the sentence for what they deemed “unsporting behavior” during the Ajax game on Nov. 23.  José Mourinho was slapped with a two-game ban.  Mou will serve the first game of the sentence when he sits out the Auxerre game on Dec. 8 (no word on whether UEFA will allow him to coach from a seat in the stands right next to the bench like he did during the two Liga games he was suspended) while the second game will depend on his behavior over the next three years (i.e. if UEFA feels that he has violated his parole, they’ll suspend him).  He was also fined €40,000.

Meanwhile, Xabi and Sergio were fined €20,000 each, Iker €10,000 and Jerzy Dudek €5,000.  The club itself was fined €120,000, meaning that they’ll pay a total of €215,000, since I’m pretty sure the players/coach won’t have to pay this out of their own pockets.  Madrid will appeal the decision, since to their understanding there are no rules that state that these types of alleged behavior are to be sanctioned.  In addition, the referee from the game and the delegate from UEFA did not note any irregularities in their match reports.

Xabi and Sergio will also miss the game against Auxerre, their penalty for receiving red cards in the Ajax game.  Of course, that’s not the only game that Sergio will be missing, since the RFEF has punished him with a one game suspension for his actions (“acting in a violent matter against another footballer”) in the game against Barcelona.  The referee had justified the red card by writing, “he tacked an opponent from behind, without the possibility of getting the ball.”  Ricardo Carvalho will also serve a one game suspension for receiving his fifth yellow card.  Both players will miss the Valencia game, and will be replaced by Álvaro Arbeloa and Raúl Albiol.

Also likely to miss the game is Gonzalo Higuaín, still suffering from back problems, which means that Karim Benzema could get another chance.  Initial tests have confirmed that Pipita has a herniated disc, and he’ll submit to more tests today in the Hospital Sanitas La Moraleja, and the best method of treatment will be determined after that.

In slightly better news, Rafa Nadal, during the AS awards, talked about the Barcelona-Madrid game.  He joked about how hard it was for him to lose the Masters Cup and then to see his beloved Madrid lose back-to-back.  He also revealed later that he had sent a text message of support to Cristiano after the game, along with several other players (and he also sent some congratulatory messages to the rival team).

Iker was also present at the awards, since he was picking up one on behalf of the Spanish national team, along with Vicente del Bosque, but he didn’t say anything to the press, due to a Madrid gag order.  That was also the reason why Sergio Ramos, Álvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso were no-shows at the presentation of the Chocrón charity catalog last night (Sergio had participated in this photo session for that catalog).