MADRID (AP) — Spanish club Mallorca has suspended midfielder Dani Rodríguez without pay and stripped him of his captaincy after the veteran publicly complained that he did not get to play in the team's match against Real Madrid, when his family was in attendance.
Mallorca issued a statement Wednesday saying Rodríguez “has been suspended from duty and pay,” and that the club “has stripped him of his captaincy with immediate effect.”
Rodríguez was an unused substitute in Mallorca's 2-1 loss to Madrid on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. After the match, the 37-year-old player posted on Instagram a photo of his family at the stadium, accompanied by a text in which he complained about not getting any minutes.
He said he had traveled to Madrid with his kids being “excited” about the opportunity to see his dad play at the Bernabeu.
“An important lesson and piece of advice for them: Never expect anything from anyone, especially these days, when meritocracy, culture, and respect for hard work are lacking,” Rodríguez wrote. “Don’t do things expecting something in return. Do it for yourself and your passion.”
He later followed that post with an open letter published by Spanish media, where he said he respected the decisions by coach Jagoba Arrasate, and that he wasn't upset because his kids did not get to watch him play.
“What I can’t accept is the lack of respect for commitment and dedication,” he said. “It hurts when a player who just arrived, with just one training session, has the opportunity to play ahead of teammates who have spent years defending this jersey with sweat and dedication, always putting the club above all else.”
Rodríguez was apparently referring to recently signed forward Jan Virgili, who was picked by Arrasate to enter the match in the 87th minute.
“I hope Jan succeeds here and that together we can all help him,” Rodríguez said. “But when something like this happens, it sends a terrible message to the locker room: work, dedication or loyalty don’t matter. That’s what angered me.”
Rodríguez said he wrote the letter to clear things up because his family was “going through a tough time.”
Rodríguez had not made any publicly statements since Mallorca announced the suspension.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
