Valencia saying it felt threatened into resuming its interrupted game after an alleged racial insult.
Valencia stopped playing at Cadiz on Sunday and walked off the field before halftime after defender Mouctar Diakhaby said he was insulted by Cadiz defender Juan Cala.
RACISM ACCUSATION
At Cadiz, Cala denied any wrongdoing and was defended by teammates and coach Alvaro Cervera.
The team resumed the game after more than 20 minutes. Valencia said its players felt threatened after the referee told them about the potential consequences of not returning to the field which would be the likely loss of points.
The players were forced to play after the threat of punishment, the club said in a statement.
It had earlier said the decision to return was made after a request to do so by Diakhaby, who is Black.
Cadiz scored late to win the match 2-1.
Today is a sad day for our sport, Valencia said. We didn’t lose only a match, we lost the respect and the spirit of soccer and of sport.