WATCH: Real Valladolid defender throws punch at teammate on the bench

Real Valladolid are having a torrid return to La Liga after winning immediate promotion back to Spain’s top tier last season. La Pucela have long-since been considered as relegation fodder, but the public image of the club has taken a number of hits over the course of the season.

Things only got worse this weekend, and arguably their 4-0 defeat to Getafe at home was not the worst of it. Valladolid conceded inside the first minute of the game to what were La Liga’s second lowest scorers (after themselves) from a long throw. They would be 3-0 down by half-time, before a fourth for Los Azulones ten minutes before the game continued the misery at the Nuevo Jose Zorrilla.

MÁXIMA TENSIÓN 💥

El momento entre Latasa y Luis Pérez en el banquillo del Real Valladolid #LALIGAenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/bs6W3u1bpw

— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) April 6, 2025

The most embarassing in the eyes of many fans was the antics on the bench though. During the game, after Juanmi Latasa came off, he was spotted in conversation with defender Luis Perez, sat one across from him with Eray Comert between the pair. DAZN have subtitled their conversation, where Latasa begins by saying ‘This is s***. Can’t you see that we’re not doing anything like this. This is s***.’

Luis Pérez intentando golpear a Latasa. No puede ser jugador del Real Valladolid ni un minuto más. pic.twitter.com/KsCPWKffH9

— Samu Galicia (@samugalicia) April 6, 2025

Perez responds by telling Latasa to lighten his words, ‘It’s not s***’, and seemingly appearing to reason with him. Latasa then turns his scathing perspective on Perez, saying ‘Shut up, Luis, come on. You’re only here to talk, maestro.’ After appearing to say something further with his hand in front of his mouth, Comert reaches across to Latasa, and tries to restrain Perez, who throws a punch in an attempt to get at Latasa. The 30-year-old defender then leaves the bench and walks off.

Nos equivocamos ⬇️Nos disculpamos ⬇️¡Continuamos juntos!

⚪🟣 pic.twitter.com/Zjdmq2yCKD

— Real Valladolid C.F. (@realvalladolid) April 7, 2025

On Monday afternoon, the pair signed a joint statement apologising for their behaviour, explaining that ‘no result nor frustration deriving from it justifies the lack of respect shown on the bench’. They ask for forgiveness from their teammates, the club, and the fans, and note that they will accept any disciplinary measures imposed by the club.

“I can’t give you details because I don’t really know what happened either,” manager Alvaro Rubio told Diario AS after the game.

“These are difficult situations to handle; I don’t have all the information to talk about what happened. I’ll find out later, and we’ll try to resolve it behind closed doors, which is how I think it should be resolved. I don’t know what happened, but it’s not the best image we can present. They are two players who are friends, but often emotions run higher with the person closest to you.”