Real Madrid President sends phone call apology, as Los Blancos captain risks missing Barcelona clash

Real Madrid appeared to be cruising towards a commanding 3-0 victory against La Liga club Girona last Saturday until their club captain, Nacho Fernandez, had an unfortunate lapse in judgment.

The 33-year-old Spanish defender made a reckless lunge in tackling attacker Cristian Portu, resulting in the Girona forward leaving the field on a stretcher and eventually being taken to the hospital by ambulance.

This incident marred an otherwise dominant performance by Carlo Ancelotti's team, prompting referee Juan Luis Pulido to issue a red card to the Real Madrid veteran, as reported by Football Espana.

Following the conclusion of the game, coach Carlo Ancelotti sent his apologies to the 31-year-old striker while Nacho took to Instagram to apologise for the gruesome tackle.

Nonetheless, amid the show of remorse and flurry of apologies that trailed the unassuming event, it is the act of Los Blancos president Florentino Perez that has caught the attention of many.

Following the incident, Diario AS reports that the Real Madrid president reached out to the injured Portu to apologise for Nacho's challenge and wish him well in his recovery.

Despite Portu's test scans showing no signs of broken bones, how the Spanish league disciplinary panel will assess Nacho's challenge remains to be seen.

Nacho could pick up a lengthy ban, which Ancelotti and everyone in the Real Madrid hierarchy would hope to avoid, given the number of injuries the club currently faces in its central defensive unit.

The captain is expected to miss the clash with Osasuna next week without a doubt and could be ruled out of the Clasico two games later, depending on the ban.

Michel: Ancelotti told me that he did not understand Nacho's challenge with the 0-3, he apologized to us

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— Real Madrid Info ³⁵ (@RMadridInfo) September 30, 2023