UEFA waved it off: F. Valverde's head shot to Benfica player – nothing serious

2026-02-24 14:35 © scanpix

UEFA exhibited strange behavior.

The European football organization rejected the request of Lisbon's Benfica team to suspend Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde.

The Uruguayan "made a mark" in the Champions League knockout match last week when, in the 83rd minute, he deliberately struck opponent Samuel Dahl's head.

However, neither the VAR system nor the on-field referee paid attention to the unsportsmanlike conduct of the Real representative.

After Benfica expressed disappointment with this UEFA decision, the organization led by Aleksandr Čeferin stated that there is "no basis" to disqualify F. Valverde.