Federico Valverde (25), a Uruguayan midfielder who repeats particularly harsh fouls towards Lee Kang-in (22), a rising star in Korean football, admitted that he was angry at the time of the match.
Valverde answered a question about his recent performance at a press conference ahead of Al-Ahli (Egypt) in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) semi-final held at the Prince Mullai Abdela Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on the 7th. (Korea time) When the game results are not good, I get angry and frustrated.”
He continued, “I didn’t feel good in the game against Atletico Madrid, and the game against Mallorca was the same.” “I get angry if I don’t win. Of course, I have to become more mature.”
This explains why Valverde fought against Mallorca on the 5th.
Valverde repeatedly fouled opponent Lee Kang-in in the match against Mallorca.
At the time of the match, when Lee Kang-in won the ball in the first minute and tried to break through the dribble into the real camp, Valverde chased after Lee Kang-in and bumped into him violently to stop the attack .
In the 18th minute of the second half, Valverde hit Lee Kang-in’s right foot with a back tackle during the ball contest. It was rough dirt that could lead to serious injuries.
Lee Kang-in was in pain for a while while holding his ankle. After receiving a warning, Valverde was replaced from the ground by Modric. Valverde sat down on the bench and hit the chair with his fist as if he was angry.
This is not the first time that Valverde has been fouled by Lee Kang-in.
Valverde made a rough tackle on Lee Kang-in during the match between Korea and Uruguay in the first round of the Qatar 2022 World Cup last year, and this was followed by a seemingly threatening first swing ceremony.
In this press conference, Valverde expressed his opposition to the racist accusations and slogans of the crowd that target Real Madrid’s Brazilian colleague Vinicius, but this also has a difficult aspect to win sympathy.
In the press conference, Valverde said, “Vinicius is also someone’s son. He has to be respected,” he said. “He’s just a young player who plays football in his own style.”
The problem is that Valverde himself has committed racist acts. Valverde sparked controversy over racial discrimination at the FIFA U-20 (Under 20) World Cup held in Korea in 2017 by performing an ‘eye gouging ceremony’.
[서울=뉴시스]
