Real Madrid president Florentino Perez insists the club did not field an ineligible player in Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz.
A complaint was raised against Cheryshev's inclusion in the side for Wednesday's Copa del Rey game after it was claimed he should have served a suspension which was accrued last season during his loan spell with Villarreal.
"Madrid have not named an ineligible player. This is the opinion after consulting the legal services of Real Madrid," Perez said following a board meeting on Thursday.
"After analysing what happened, the penalty for three yellow cards should not be considered effective because nobody told the player of his punishment, as stated in Article 41 [of competition regulations].
"The sanction is not effective, and even if it were, we believe it would be considered void with the application of the final paragraph of section 12: 'At the end of the third round of the Copa del Rey, there will be a complete cancelling of penalty cycles for all concerned'.
"We don't believe anyone acted negligently. This is our conclusion.
"Cheryshev is calm. He played yesterday because he was convinced he was able to."
Perez said head coach Rafael Benitez was not to blame for the controversy as, along with Cheryshev himself, he had been given no indication that a suspension had been implemented.
"We have no record, no notification. It makes no sense to say that the player was notified if he hasn't been," he explained.
"No person has acted negligently at Real Madrid. That's our conclusion after speaking with the legal services.
"Like every Madridista, Benitez is sad because it was a situation that's never happened. If the player doesn't know, he can't tell anyone else."
Cheryshev confirmed immediately after the game that he had been given no direct notification from Villarreal or the Royal Spanish Football Federation, as regulations stipulate is necessary when a suspension is given.
Cadiz president Manuel Vizcaino said on Wednesday that the club had reported the incident "with pain in our hearts", adding "it's a tough decision, but we have to act".
