Valverde Ruled Out of South Korea Friendly After Ankle Injury from Lee Kang-in's Tackle

Midfielder Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), who injured his ankle following a tackle by Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid) during the Madrid derby, has ultimately been ruled out of the Uruguay national team squad and will miss the friendly match against South Korea.

Real Madrid announced, "Following examinations by the club's medical staff, Valverde has been diagnosed with a third-degree sprain in his left ankle."

The club added that his recovery will be monitored, while Spanish media outlets projected that Valverde will be sidelined for approximately two to three weeks.

Reuters explained that a third-degree sprain is the most severe level of ligament damage, indicating a complete rupture of the affected ligament.

Consequently, Valverde has withdrawn from the Uruguay national team squad for their three-match Asian tour during the September to October international match period.

Under the new leadership of head coach Diego Forlan following the North and Central American World Cup, the Uruguay national team embarks on an Asian tour starting against Japan on September 24, followed by South Korea on September 28, and India on October 6.

Following Valverde's injury and subsequent unavailability, the Uruguayan Football Association called up midfielder Emiliano Martinez, who plays for domestic league side Palmeiras, as a replacement.

Valverde's injury occurred on September 20 during the La Liga Round 7 match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid held at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.

Real Madrid suffered a 1-2 defeat while playing a man down following defender Dean Huijsen's red card, and Valverde was subjected to a harsh tackle by Lee Kang-in while attempting a breakthrough near the end of the first half.

Lee Kang-in did not receive a yellow card for the tackle, and Valverde played until the final whistle.

In a post-match official press conference, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho strongly criticized the refereeing decisions, pointing out that Atletico's Cristian Romero only received a yellow card rather than a red for stepping on Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham's knee, and that Lee Kang-in's tackle only resulted in a foul without a caution.

After the criticism shifted toward La Liga President Javier Tebas and others, Tebas dismissed Real Madrid's accusations of biased refereeing as "a story from another galaxy."

In response, the Real Madrid club criticized the remarks as "unacceptable" and stated that they want a new La Liga president, keeping the controversy alive.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.