Federico Valverde has taken to social media to address the comments he made in a press conference ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Manchester City.
In the build-up to Wednesday's fixture at the Bernabeu, one of the big talking points in Spain has been Real Madrid and their fractured relationship with La Liga amid an incident during last weekend's clash against Osasuna.
With seven minutes remaining of the first-half, Jude Bellingham was handed a straight red card for a comment which referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero deemed to be dissent.
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The latest incident came after Real Madrid president Florentino Perez called for the Spanish FA to bring in referees from the Premier League to improve the standard of officiating in La Liga.
In fact, reports emerged on Monday that Los Blancos were considering whether to quit the Spanish league.
A report from Spanish publication SPORT claimed that Real were considering the possibility of leaving La Liga and 'taking asylum' in one of three major European leagues - Serie A, Bundesliga or Ligue 1.
Amid the controversy, Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde was given the unenviable task of speaking to the media ahead of their clash against Manchester City on Wednesday.
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Asked if referees are different in the Champions League compared to La Liga, Valverde said: “I’m not the one to judge the referee. We are all human and we can make mistakes. Referees are also criticised a lot and when they do things right they are not praised either.
"The only thing I can do is to be available to the team and, as captain, to make the team think about us, to work to give the best to this club and for the team to win titles at the end of the year.”
After acknowledging the difficulty officials can face, Valverde would later clarify his stance in a post on X, formerly Twitter, after he received criticism for the press conference comments.
"I don't want anyone to misunderstand me, but above all I want to clarify for our fans," he wrote. "If today I don't talk about the refereeing we are suffering it is because I KNOW MYSELF, and I must focus on tomorrow."
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Valverde added: "Everyone has seen what is happening to us in this league, and I don't forget it, but now we have to focus on tomorrow, and I will be 100 per cent as I have always been."
In regards to Bellingham's comments, referee Munuera Montero believed that the midfielder said "f**k you" directly to him – which, if proven, could see him receive a ban of between four and 12 matches.
Topics: Real Madrid, Federico Valverde, Champions League, Manchester City
Jack Kenmare