Chelsea fines Kepa Arrizabalaga one-week wage which is about £190,000 for refusing to be substituted in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday.
Kepa Arrizabalaga who is the most expensive goalkeeper in the world was blamed by fans for their Carabao Cup defeat by Manchester City, as his unprofessional display made them lose the only trophy they had 100% chance of winning this season after exiting the FA Cup….there is Europa Cup though…
The goalkeeper refused to be substituted in a tactical move by Chelsea, to allow Willy Caballero the second choice goalkeeper to come in for the shootouts. The London team lost the game 4-3 on shootouts, but after the game, Kepa Arrizabalaga released a statement saying it was never his intention to challenge the authority of the manager, who was visibly furious at the unprofessional display by the goalkeeper.
Again, on Monday, both Kepa Arrizabalaga and Sarri released a statement on the incident, before Tuesday’s fine by club which will be donated to Charity.
Kepa statement reads:
‘I was very happy to play in my first Cup Final for Chelsea yesterday and very proud of the team performance. I have thought a lot more about yesterday’s events. Although there was a misunderstanding, on reflection, I made a big mistake with how I handled the situation. I wanted to take the time today to apologise fully and in person to the coach, to Willy, my team-mates and to the club. I have done this and now I want to offer the same apology to the fans. I will learn from this episode and will accept any punishment or discipline the club decides is appropriate.’
Sarri on his part said:
‘Kepa and I have spoken about the incident. It was a good conversation. There was a misunderstanding yesterday but he realises he made a big mistake in the way he reacted. He has apologised to me, his team-mates and the club. It is up to the club if they want to discipline him according to the club rules, but for me this matter is now closed. The team performance as a whole was extremely positive and it is a shame to see how this incident has overshadowed our efforts in what was a very competitive Cup Final. Everyone’s focus is now on the next game and we must all now put this behind us.’