Alex Baena was sent off after lifting his shirt to reveal a tribute to the late Villareal vice-president
Villareal midfielder Alex Baena showed a tough second yellow card after raising his shirt to reveal a tribute to the club’s vice-president who recently died from leukaemia
Alex Baena paid tribute to the late Villareal VP on Sunday night
He unveiled a jersey that read “Thank you for everything Llaneza” after scoring
The 21-year-old winger then received a second yellow card for lifting his jersey
Villareal won the game against Almeria 2-1 despite being down to 10 men
Villareal’s Alex Baena was sent off hard on Sunday night after removing his shirt to pay tribute to Jose Manuel Llaneza, the club’s late vice-president.
The winger had been booked earlier in the game against Almeria and was part of a controversial second-half incident after leveling his side with a second-half header.
Baena lifted his shirt to reveal a message that read, “Thank you for everything Llaneza” after the vice president passed away after a battle with leukemia.
Alex Baena unveiled a tribute to Villareal’s late vice-president Jose Manuel Llaneza on Sunday
The winger was then shown a second yellow card for removing his shirt and sent off
? Alex Baena heads in to equalize for Villarreal…
…but then he’s bizarrely sent off for a second yellow card after raising his jersey to show a tribute message to Villarreal vice-president Jose Manuel Llaneza, who passed away earlier this week ? pic.twitter.com/iqOqsjDPAf
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) October 23, 2022
He was then shown a cruel second yellow card for the act, reducing Villareal to 10 men for the remainder of the game, which they eventually won 2-1.
When manager Unai Emerai was interviewed after the game, he was diplomatic about the dismissal. He said: “I think he’s a very good referee. He’s always been at a very high level, but there are difficult situations that he has to lead.”
“He acted with the rules in hand, but if he had thought about it more coolly, he might not have made the same decision.”
Villareal beat Almeria 2-1 despite being down to 10 men for most of the second half
Llaneza was a key figure at Villareal for decades and was recognized in a statement from them which read: “The club wishes to express its deep and immense sorrow, sadness and dismay at his irreparable loss and to send its sincerest love and affection to his family and his loved ones.’
“It should be noted that José Manuel Llaneza was one of the great architects of the great growth of the club, which he joined in 1994 and carried out the duties of manager, CEO and vice-president of the club, one of the most important important figures in Spanish football for his great skills , his talent, his work and his leadership skills.’
A minute’s silence was held for Llaneza before the game, and tributes were placed on the field.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11346801/Alex-Baena-sent-lifting-shirt-reveal-tribute-Villareals-late-vice-president.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 Alex Baena was sent off after lifting his shirt to reveal a tribute to the late Villareal vice-president
