Joaquin pleads innocence over bust-up

Valencia winger Joaquin insists he did not slate coach Unai Emery when he was substituted in Sunday’s 3-1 win against Sevilla.

Joaquin appeared to aim a volley of abuse at Emery as he left the pitch but says he was only chastising himself.

He said: “I was annoyed with myself because I felt that I did not play well.

“It was in a phase of the game where no one would have wanted to leave and that got me a little upset.

“I would have liked to be given more time to improve but the substitution was logical. It’s normal to be annoyed and I didn’t want to remain on the bench because I was livid.

“In the three years here, I have never had any problems, but I made the gesture in the heat of the moment. It was the frustration that made me react this way but it is not something I should have done.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid will fine Julien Faubert after the Frenchman failed to turn up for training.

Faubert, who moved to the Bernabeu in January on loan from West Ham United, has made just two substitute appearances for Real.

However, it appears that Faubert’s absence was due to a misunderstanding as he thought there would be no training on the day after Real’s win at Recreativo.

Real coach Juande Ramos said: "It was merely an oversight from Julien. He thought that Sunday would be a day off as is normal, but there is no problem with this.

"The player knows that there are internal disciplinary procedures, and he is willing to comply so there is no problem."