Diego Llorente has cemented his place at Real Betis since arriving at the club from Leeds United in the summer.
The centre-back has played every minute in the league this season, including the La Liga side’s 1-0 defeat to Sevilla in the derby.
After the tie, the former Leeds man publicly criticised the referee, Martínez Munuera, for awarding a penalty to Sevilla. The incident took place in the second half when the ball touched his arm and Dodi Lukébakio converted from the spot.
Tuesday’s edition of ABC Sevilla indicates the 31-year-old could be handed a ban, months after leaving Leeds.
With regards to the penalty incident, he said: “…in that play my right arm, which is where he hits me, goes down and not up as he says it can be seen in the images. On top of that he lies to our faces. I think that in this way we are destroying football, it has been several weeks in which we are being harmed.”
It’s claimed Comité de Competición’s verdict is awaited, but Real Betis could be without the ex-Leeds defender for ‘several games’.
ABC Sevilla haven’t mentioned how long the Spaniard could be banned for. They point out that former Real Betis midfielder Sergio Canales was suspended for four matches for criticising a match official in February 2023, and it’s arguable his words weren’t as strong.
