David Beckham will be able to play for Real Madrid against Deportivo La Coruna
after the Spanish football federation's disciplinary committee rescinded the red
card he received during the 2'1 defeat by Valencia on Sunday.
Beckham was shown a yellow card for dissent and then a straight red after he
sarcastically applauded referee Arturo Dauden Ibanez in the 87th minute of the
Primera Liga game at the Bernabeu.
Madrid appealed the red card yesterday as the dismissal would have ruled him
out of the trip to La Coruna.
They based their case on the fact that Beckham was not actually facing the
referee when he applauded him, unlike Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney who
was sent off during a Champions League match in Villarreal after applauding
referee Kim Milton Nielsen.
'The judicial services of Real Madrid are analysing the video of the game,
along with various photographs to show that David Beckham's actions in no way
were an act of disrespect towards Dauden Ibanez,' read a statement on the club's official website.
Rooney was sent off for what was a second yellow card and Beckham was shown a
direct red for his action, but now the disciplinary committee have decided
Beckham's gesture does not merit punishment.
A statement from the committee, who fined Beckham 60 Euros (£40) over the
incident, read: 'The player does applaud, but with his back to the director of
the game, it is not in a confrontational attitude, but as he goes back to take
up his position on the pitch.
'It is without doubt an attitude worthy of reproach, but which proceeds from
the original protest,' continued the finding, contradicting Dauden Ibanez's
assertion in his post'match report.
'In the 87th minute the player David Beckham was sent off for applauding in a
mocking way after being booked,' wrote Ibanez.
But the committee stated: 'We appreciate in what happened, that there was no
desire to insult or show disrespect to the referee, which leads us to sanction
what happened as just one infraction.'
Following the sending'off, Madrid coach Wanderley Luxemburgo had hinted at his
annoyance at losing two players for the Deportivo game as Thomas Gravesen was
also dismissed for a wild lunge at Valencia's Vicente Rodriguez with nine
minutes remaining.
'The team has not only lost, but has also lost two players, but I don't want
to talk about referees,' said Luxemburgo at the time.
Beckham's availability will compensate for the absence of Zinedine Zidane who
was a late withdrawal from Madrid's injury'hit squad with a thigh problem.
