{
  "id": 6563372,
  "title": "La Liga: Rodri apologises after criticism over Valencia remark",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/la-liga-rodri-apologises-after-criticism-over-valencia-remark-6563372",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-10T08:54:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/la-liga-rodri-apologises-after-criticism-over-valencia-remark/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Barcelona midfielder Rodri has expressed regret over remarks he made to Barcelona teammates describing Valencia as \"very weak\" after being substituted during the 5-0 league victory over the La Liga strugglers. The 30-year-old reportedly said this to Barcelona players Pau Cubarsi and Raphinha while sitting on the bench. Despite the footage being audioless, broadcaster Movistar claimed Rodri lip-read his words as \"They’re really weak. They haven’t got past the halfway line.\" This led to criticism from Valencia fans and some Spanish media outlets, accusing Rodri of disrespecting the club. However, Rodri clarified his intention was not to mock Valencia but to express surprise at their performance. He apologized to Valencia captain Jose Gaya and the entire squad, emphasizing his words were an expression of surprise and not intended to disrespect the club. Rodri also stated he wanted Valencia to return to its strong position in the league, despite acknowledging his comments might have been taken out of context.",
  "summary": "Barcelona midfielder Rodri issues an apology to Valencia after being accused of calling them ‘very weak’ during a private conversation on the bench. Read More: https://punchng.com/la-liga-rodri-apologises-after-criticism-over-valencia-remark/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport Football",
        "title": "Barca's Rodri apologises over Valencia 'weak' comments",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/barcas-rodri-apologises-over-valencia-weak-comments",
        "published": "2026-09-10T07:27:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "La Liga: Rodri apologises after criticism over Valencia remark",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/la-liga-rodri-apologises-after-criticism-over-valencia-remark",
        "published": "2026-09-10T08:51:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Barca’s Rodri apologises over Valencia ‘weak’ comments",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/barcas-rodri-apologises-over-valencia-weak-comments",
        "published": "2026-09-11T00:13:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "Barca’s Rodri apologises over Valencia ‘weak’ comments",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/barcas-rodri-apologises-over-valencia-weak-comments-6722599",
        "published": "2026-09-11T06:43:43.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}