A very costly journey
Juan Carlos had his contract terminated this week due to an unusual situation and it turns out that the player pretended to be infected with COVID-19 in order to be left out of the list of his team, which is currently second in its group and is seeking promotion to the second division. The Seville-born midfielder is a self-confessed Real Betis fan and could not resist and decided not to miss the opportunity to see his team win the Copa del Rey last Saturday, April 23, between Betis and Valencia, a match that ended with Betis winning on penalties to be crowned in the Cup.
Deportivo accused him of having lied in order not to play the match that his former team would play against Talavera on April 24 (one day after the final of the Cup), the player informed the club that he had COVID-19 in order not to be part of the call-up and thus not have to play the weekend. Menudo lied and took advantage of this situation to travel to Seville to watch the final of the Copa del Rey. The player traveled discreetly, but Deportivo managed to collect evidence that the player had been in Seville, which is why the club asked for explanations from the player who was supposedly ill. Juan Carlos first denied the facts but later admitted that he had traveled.
The 30 year old player had a contract until 2023 but after this inconvenience his contract was terminated by the Club who alleged that the player broke the disciplinary code of the club. The club first rescinded the contract and gave no explanation, however as the days passed the news began to spread and Borja Jimenez (Deportivo's coach) came out to declare that after what happened the club made the decision to fire him based on the values that the club believes should be respected.
Menudo did not give any statement about the event but he was quite active on social networks responding to the comments made to him in which he showed that he did not have a very good relationship with his coach or with the Club. The player had arrived from Numancia the previous season and had only played 11 games, which confirms that perhaps his relationship with the coach was not the best. It is certainly not the first time that a similar situation happens where a player lies to be excluded from a call-up, however I do not remember a previous situation where the player lies to see the club of his childhood, sometimes fanaticism leads us to commit irresponsible and unprofessional acts, although at least Juan Carlos can say that he saw the team he has always been a fan of lift his first trophy in 17 years.
Well folks that was all for this opportunity, I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think in the comments and if you remember any similar situation with another soccer player.