Antony breaks down in tears as El Gran Derbi ban all-but confirmed – “This week was very hard” | OneFootball

In the last 24 hours, it has been all-but confirmed that Antony will miss this weekend’s El Gran Derbi showdown between Sevilla and Real Betis. The winger, signed in the summer from Manchester United, was sent off for a dangerous challenge during last Sunday’s draw against Girona, and thus far, Los Verdiblancos’ efforts to overturn his suspension have been in vain.

Betis initially submitted an appeal regarding the dismissal to the Disciplinary Committee, but it was turned down. As per Marca, the same has now happened with the Appeals Committee, which has led the club to seek a precautionary suspension of the one-match ban from the Administrative Court of Sport (CAS).

Image via Fran Santiago/Getty Images

Antony resigns himself to missing El Gran Derbi

However, there is no guarantee that Betis will be successful, and Antony himself has now appeared to resign himself to missing out against Sevilla. As per Movistar+ (via Marca), he broke down in tears when discussing the situation after Thursday’s victory over FC Utrecht in the Europa League.

“For me it’s a very sad moment because I’m coming from a sending off where there was no intention of anything, but hey. This week was very hard. I know there are a lot of games ahead, but I know the importance of this one and I’m a little sad, angry, because I wanted to be there on Sunday, but I’ll be with my teammates.”

“For me it’s the most important game of the year and not being able to play it is very hard. It’s going to be very difficult. It has been a very hard week. This sending off has affected me because of the importance of the next game. I already imagined playing the derby away from home, but I’m going to be with them, transmitting energy to them to get the three points.”