Real Madrid has pardoned Angel Di Maria for a controversial gesture he supposedly made during Madrid's 3-0 win over Celta Vigo on Monday.
Fans booed the Argentinean when he was replaced during the second half of the game; Di Maria apparently reached for his crotch as a sign of defiance. The team then investigated the incident but has concluded that Di Maria does not deserve any punishment for the gesture.
"Real Madrid communicates that the investigation opened into the player Angel Di Maria has concluded without any punishment," said a statement by the team, according to ESPN. "The investigator has judged that it cannot be concluded that Di Maria was responsible for making offensive gestures towards the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu on January 6 last and, therefore, has committed no type of error which deserves a disciplinary punishment. Consequently, the club's board has decided to file away the case."
The situation is interesting for more reasons than meet the eye. At the center of this controversy were questions about whether Di Maria was unhappy with Real Madrid and was looking to move to another team such as Arsenal or Manchester United; both teams are reportedly interested in the midfielder.
The question that comes from this decision is two-fold: Did Madrid decide not to punish Di Maria to avoid damaging the relationship with the player and thus avoid more transfer talks? Or was this simply the team deciding that the player did nothing wrong?