SEVILLE, Spain - Spanish soccer team Sevilla expressed support for its midfielder Francisco Gallardo, who may be punished for biting a teammate's genitals while celebrating a goal.
Gallardo, 21, was filmed with his head between the legs of Jose Antonio Reyes, who had just netted in Sunday's 4-0 home win over Real Valladolid. Spain's soccer federation is investigating whether he broke rules concerning "sporting decorum."
"We want to show our unreserved support for Gallardo and his family in these very difficult times for them," the team said in a statement. "We want to make public our astonishment about the possibility of a sanction."
Gallardo, an under-21 international, has until Tuesday to submit written evidence about the incident which prompted uproar in the Spanish media, with sports daily Marca calling the act "scandalous." Gallardo said it had been a joke.
“It was something between friends that I thought would have no importance until this morning when I got up and saw all the commotion in the news,” Gallardo told a news conference. “It stunned me.”
Reyes told Marca that he had “felt a slight pinch.”
The federation may suspend the midfielder, who has played 29 times for Sevilla. The southern Spain team is 10th in the Primera Liga.
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