Almeyda hits back after harsh Sevilla ban: “It’s a complete injustice” | OneFootball

Matías Almeyda, Sevilla’s coach, who was handed a seven-match suspension after being sent off in the match against Alavés on matchday 24 of the Spanish league, reflected: “It’s a total injustice. I’ll serve the suspension, but I don’t accept it and it won’t change my mind. My protest, which was excessive, was to ask the same thing I’m asking myself now: Why was I sent off?”

Almeyda insisted that he doesn’t believe the refereeing is “against” him because that would mean thinking he’s “too important” and clarified: “There were no insults. Protesting a decision is one thing, but confronting or insulting is another. That, in my case, doesn’t exist.” He then added: “To paint the whole picture, they say I kicked the little bottle. It’s easier to judge me from that perspective.”

The former River coach was sanctioned by the Competition Committee with three matches for disrespect, two for protesting, one for leaving the field, and one for unsporting conduct.

Previously, referee Iosu Galech’s report was clear in his statement: “In the 85th minute, coach Almeyda, Matías Jesús, was sent off for the following reason: for protesting one of my decisions in an ostentatious manner, shouting and making gestures of disapproval towards me, having been warned just minutes earlier by assistant no. 1 to correct both his attitude and the general conduct of his bench.”

“Once sent off, he refused to leave the technical area and this situation caused the match to be halted. In this circumstance, the aforementioned coach entered the pitch and stood face to face just centimeters from me, in a defiant and intimidating manner,” the referee’s report continued.

As a result, the 52-year-old strategist will miss the matches against Getafe (A), Real Betis (A), Rayo Vallecano (H), Barcelona (A), Valencia (H), Real Oviedo (A), Atlético de Madrid (H), and Osasuna (A), and will only be able to return on matchday 33, when the Andalusian side visits Levante. For now, his team sits fourteenth in the league with 26 points, the result of seven wins, five draws, and twelve losses.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.