Valencia CF Director General, Sean Bai, held a press conference alongside José Luis Gayà, in which he expressed his support for the club captain in light of his 4-game suspension.

"Hello everyone,

Thank you very much for attending this press conference.

Today we are here with a very extensive group of representatives of our club -the board, our coach and our captains- backed by the entire squad, to support our captain José Luis Gayà.

As you know, yesterday we were informed, three days before the start of the LaLiga season, that the unfair and disproportionate 4-game suspension for Gayà for statements about a referee had been upheld. This is a suspension that the club have appealed against in all possible ways, which has been communicated to us at a late stage, and which is totally unfair. This sanction sets a very dangerous precedent and is a clear case of comparative unfairness with respect to other clearer and even more serious cases.

This punishment causes serious damage to our club and to our captain. It also affects his chances of being able to play in the World Cup in Qatar, which is a shame as we would be very excited if he were to represent us with the determination and pride that he shows whenever he plays for the national team or our club.

José, your club and your teammates are here to support you at this time, in this unfair situation".