Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga fined after Maurizio Sarri Wembley bust-up
The Spanish goalkeeper refused to be substituted in the League Cup final, sparking a furious touchline reaction from his manager.
Tuesday 26 February 2019 09:51, UK
Chelsea have fined goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga a week's wages after his Carabao Cup final bust-up with manager Maurizio Sarri.
The Spanish goalkeeper and his Italian boss held talks on Monday after he refused to be substituted towards the end of the match at Wembley, which the Blues lost to Manchester City on penalties.
Sarri was left raging after the £72m-signing publicly defied him and left reserve goalkeeper Willy Caballero waiting on the touchline.
Both men brushed it off as a misunderstanding at full-time but Arrizabalaga has personally apologised to Sarri, his team-mates and the club, admitting he made "a big mistake".
His fined wages will go to charity.
Arrizabalaga said: "I have thought a lot more about [Sunday'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 said: "Kepa and I have spoken about the incident. It was a good conversation. There was a misunderstanding... 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."