A former Leeds United target from the summer, Uruguayan international Alvaro Pereira, has been banned until April for his sending off for a horror challenge in the ‘friendly’ between Argentinian sides Gimnasia and Estudiantes.
Pereira saw his marching early in the second half for a front-kicked clearance that saw the Uruguayan kick an opponent, Facundo Oreja, full in the head, knocking him out and leaving him flat on the turf.
The 29-year-old was sensationally linked with Championship side Leeds United all summer as Whites fans salivated over the prospect of the club signing the World Cup semi-finalist from Inter Milan – a team he joined for the princely sum of €10m in 2011. Such was his prowess Pereira drew interest from none other than Chelsea who were reprotedly unsuccessful with a €20m bid for him in August 2012.
The proposed transfer came to nothing with the attacking left back, who would surely have torn up the Championship, joining Argentine side Estudiantes instead. At the time of his signing on an initial loan in January 2015, his agent Alfredo Reguira confirmed that Leeds had been in the hunt, telling FCInterNews that the ‘sealing deal’ was that Estudiantes President was ex-Inter man Juan Sebastian Veron. Speaking of Periera’s decision to join the Argentinian side, Reguira said at the time,
“Alvaro is really very happy to be joining Estudiantes. President Veron believes in Palito so much, that’s why he agreed to take him on loan with a purchase option. Who else tried for him? There were many other clubs involved: Leeds, Dynamo Kyiv, Boca [Juniors], River [Plate] and Palmeiras.”
https://youtu.be/bQRqtXaEobU
Pereira’s sending off for his horror challenge only served as an entree to the game’s main conflagration which occured in added time at the end of the game, a late tackle sparking an all-in brawl (below) where full-on kicks and punches were the order of the day.
https://youtu.be/JyhkPv3A1cE
For his sending off, Pereira has received an eight-game ban and that will delay his La Liga debut with new side Getafe, where he is on loan from Estudiantes, until April. This means the once former-Leeds United target will miss games against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and world footballing giants Barcelona before becoming eligible to make his debut against Rayo Vallecano.
