Who knew such controversy could come from a UEFA Youth League Match? So, here's what happened. On Wednesday, several media outlets (including us) published footage of David Ruiz Pascual with what looked like one of the dives of the century in a game between Celtic and Valencia. It turns out that the young lad injured his cruciate ligament while running for the ball, and that's why he fell over so dramatically. Take a look at it here:
The referee gave the foul, which of course infuriated the Celtic players, and Valencia ended up progressing on penalties. Even after news of the player's actual injury, the Celtic fans were less than pleased. Most felt that the distinction between dive and injury was meaningless because the referee made a mistake in stopping play at all. It is a valid complaint to be fair, but surely a concern for the player should take a higher precedent.
Photo: @valenciacf | Twitter
Our young player @David_Ruiz7 is injured and will be out for six months. What about an apology? https://t.co/rptcGsFjDP
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) February 11, 2016
@valenciacf @David_Ruiz7 How about no? Hopefully your player learns a valuable lesson now that he injured himself with that foolish action.
— Chris Jamro (@StarCSR) February 12, 2016
@valenciacf @David_Ruiz7 @MirrorRowZed Get well David. Ánimo! But no free kick, and a big opportunity for Celtic to score.
— Mikael Øhlenschlæger (@_OfficialMikael) February 11, 2016
As a journalist who also had a hand in spreading the original story, I would like to extend a heartfelt apology to David Ruiz Pascual and wish him a speedy recovery. The article has since been rescinded. Unfortunately, the culture of the modern game is such that we often jump to conclusions of foul play when a player goes down. This event is a solid reminder that we should not be so hasty to cast judgement on the situation. Get well soon, David Ruiz Pascual.
