Check out the best goals from the weekend in La Liga, including Marcelo's inch-perfect strike for Real Madrid against Eibar. Check out the best goals from the weekend in La Liga, including Marcelo's inch-perfect strike for Real Madrid against Eibar. Geoffrey Kondogbia joined Valencia from Inter Milan on a season-long loan.
Valencia coach Marcelino believes "it's unfair" that Geoffrey Kondogbia must serve a two-match ban in the Copa del Rey that dates back to four years ago.
Kondogbia was sent off in a semifinal tie against Atletico Madrid in the 2012-13 campaign while playing for Sevilla, and should have served the ban the following season at Monaco after moving to the Ligue 1 club.
However, he did not serve any suspension in French competitions, so the ban is outstanding and he has been ordered to miss Tuesday's round of 32 clash at Real Zaragoza and the return leg on Nov. 29.
Valencia said that "the Spanish Football Federation [REFF] did not notify [the punishment] to the French Football Federation [FFF] as it is required by FIFA, hence the given sanction was not fulfilled at AS Monaco at the time and it means that the two-match ban is still effective."
???? Lista de convocados para el encuentro de Copa del Rey frente al @RealZaragoza pic.twitter.com/IArm1MZEkZ
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) October 23, 2017
Marcelino is disappointed to be without one of his top players and told a news conference: "We've known about this situation for a few days now and it's strange that it happens. It's what we have to deal with in this first round [of the Copa del Rey].
"We knew that he had a two-game ban pending and I think it's unfair that this falls on Valencia CF."
Kondogbia returned to La Liga after a four-year absence this summer when he joined Valencia on a season-long loan from Inter Milan.
He has started in seven league games under Marcelino, whose side sit second in La Liga, four points adrift of Barcelona after nine rounds.
Adriana Garcia is a Valencia-based football writer who covers La Liga for ESPN FC.
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Source: espn.co.uk