PLATA SHAME
Premier League transfer target Gonzalo Plata crashes car into taxi at TWICE the legal alcohol limit in drink-drive shame
REAL VALLADOLID have warned star striker Gonzalo Plata he faces disciplinary action after a drink-drive crash in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Ecuadorian international Plata failed a breath test after smashing into a taxi whose driver was taken to hospital along with a female passenger.
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The 22-year-old winger is said to have been more than double the Spanish drink-drive limit when the smash occurred at 6.45am in the centre of Valladolid.
The speed limit at the crossroads where the collision occurred is just over 18mph.
And local reports say the passenger in the taxi was thrown from the vehicle, while the driver had to be helped out through the broken windscreen.
Plata is also said to have been accompanied at the time of the incident by an unnamed footballer who plays for Spanish side Numancia.
Real Valladolid, who are owned by Brazil legend Ronaldo and play in the Spanish Second Division, said in a hard-hitting statement: “Real Valladolid deplores the attitude of its player Gonzalo Plata who, according to the information received, suffered a car accident this morning in the centre of the city.”
The club promised to open an internal investigation and take the appropriate disciplinary action once it had all the information at its disposal.
Valladolid added: “We regret the injuries suffered by the people who have been involved in the accident, who, luckily and according to the information we have, are in good condition.
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“Regardless of the player’s individual responsibility and without prejudice to the measures that the courts take following this incident, our internal regulations and the code of conduct of the Club are very strict when it comes to this type of behaviour which undermines our values as an institution.
“We take the opportunity to remind people of the dangers associated with recklessness and consumption of alcohol and other substances.”
Plata is currently on a season-long loan at Real Valladolid from Sporting Lisbon.
He has scored four goals and won over fans at his new side with his performances since joining at the end of August.
The Ecuador ace has also scored five goals in his 14 appearances so far with his national team.
And news of the incident, which now threatens to affect his progress at his new club, comes a day after the team’s owner defended Neymar over his partying.
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Ronaldo, who became the majority shareholder at Real Valladolid in September 2018 after buying 51 per cent of the shares, told a Podcast: “I suffered the same as Neymar.
“The private life of a well-known or famous person or of an athlete, shouldn’t matter to anyone.
“What does it matter what someone drank, ate or didn’t eat!”
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