La Liga side Mallorca have handed vice-captain Dani Rodriguez a ten-day suspension and removed his leadership role permanently following comments he posted online criticising the club’s treatment of him.
The decision was confirmed through an official statement on the club’s website shortly after Rodriguez voiced his frustration on Instagram at not being used as a substitute during Mallorca’s 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Head coach Jagoba Arrasate instead turned to Takuma Asano and 19-year-old Jan Virgili, who made his professional debut after joining from Barcelona. Virgili was later seen celebrating the occasion with his family in the stands.
Rodriguez responded angrily to being overlooked. In a message shared with his followers, he said: “I understand and deeply respect that decisions surrounding who plays are exclusively made by the coach. But what I can’t accept is the lack of respect shown towards commitment and dedication.
“It hurts that a player who has just arrived, with only one training session, has the opportunity to play ahead of teammates that have spent years defending this shirt with sweat and dedication, always putting the club above anything else.
“Hopefully Jan can triumph here and between all of us we can help him. But that something like this can happen sends a horrible message to the dressing room: that hard work, dedication and loyalty don’t matter.”
The midfielder also posted a photo of his wife and children at the Bernabeu, captioned with a longer reflection in Spanish. In it, Rodríguez wrote:
“A lesson, and important advice: Never expect anything from anyone, especially nowadays, when meritocracy, culture and respect for work are conspicuous by their absence.”
Rodriguez joined Mallorca in 2018 and has made 277 appearances, playing a central role in two promotion campaigns. Despite his contributions, the club has moved quickly to sanction him.
Mallorca’s official statement read: “RCD Mallorca announces that Dani Rodríguez has been suspended from employment and salary. The club has also stripped him of his captaincy with immediate effect.”
