Valencia Captain Hits Back at Referee’s Decision

Jose Gaya defended his tackle that earned him a straight red card as Valencia slipped to a three-goal defeat at Real Madrid in La Liga on Saturday evening.

Gaya, the Valencia captain, addressed the referee’s decision in a press conference after the match. “I have not watched the incident again,” he said, “but I had to stop the attack. It’s true that my tackle was strong, but I had no intention whatsoever of hurting the player.”

The Bats finished the match with ten players on the field, and Gaya’s red card proved costly as Real Madrid took advantage of their numerical superiority.