Kepa fined and apologises for Wembley fiasco
Kepa Arrizabalaga has been fined a week’s wages by Chelsea and has apologised for refusing to be substituted during Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
Under-pressure head coach Maurizio Sarri wanted to replace Kepa with Willy Caballero towards the end of extra time at Wembley, where the Blues subsequently lost to Manchester City on penalties.
Sarri was clearly furious, but later both men insisted the incident was a “misunderstanding” and that Kepa was communicating the fact that he was not injured and could carry on.
However, Sarri did say that the manner in which Kepa behaved would be discussed.
And in a statement released by the club, Chelsea announced that disciplinary action had been taken.
“Although there was a misunderstanding, on reflection, I made a big mistake with how I handled the situation,” Kepa said in the statement.
Sarri, meanwhile, said he and Kepa have had “a good conversation” since the incident.
The Italian added: “Kepa 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.”
