Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane has been banned from the bench for three months over incomplete coaching qualifications.
A lawyer for the Segunda Division, Francisco Rubio, recommended the three-month ban on the former France international, which was less than the several months maximum it could have been.
According to Goal.com, there was an allegation raised against Zidane’s position as Real Madrid Castilla head coach in August, 2014 which his prosecutors believes he has no credential wherewithal for the position.
Although, Zidane has a UEFA A Licence, which is equivalent to Level 2 qualifications in Spain, but he needed Level 3 badges to hold the position to take charge of the Blancos’ second team.
Zidane’s deputy, Santiago Sanchez, has also shared in the same ban as he reportedly used his qualifications to cover up for Zidane from being pulled out of coaching activities, which he now must obtain before early April, 2015 to avoid further sanctions.
The European Champions in a statement expressed their objections on the sanction.
The statement read: “Real Madrid wish to express our complete disagreement with this decision since, in any case, Zinedine Zidane is enabled by the French Football Federation to serve as head coach in the category that is Real Madrid Castilla, as credited with the certificate issued by the Football Federation on Monday, October 13, 2014.
“Real Madrid will exhaust all legal avenues to stress that this decision does not make sense.”
Ahead of the ruling, Zidane had already his disdain towards the case against him and insisted that he does regret having forged his qualifications in France rather than Spain.
“The club did everything it could and I will continue to do everything possible to defend myself,” he told La Figaro.
“I have no regrets about having spent my degrees in France. If I had to do it all over then I’d do exactly the same things.
“It’s still amazing that there are so few people defending me and explaining that I did not have special privilege. I did not circumvent the obstacles and some just took this as an opportunity to spit on me.”
It is expected of Real Madrid to launch an appeal against the ban within 10 days.
