Besiktas star clarifies Rafa situation, warns ex-Benfica man: If needed... | OneFootball

Serdal Adali, president of Besiktas, came forward this Saturday to clarify Rafa’s situation at the Turkish club. The former Benfica winger, who has been linked with a return to the Estádio da Luz, is experiencing a complicated situation at the Turkish club, about which there are now more details.

"Rafa left the field in the 73rd minute of the match against Basaksehir. His agent requested a meeting and so it was. Afterwards, we met with Rafa and had dinner together. I thought there was a problem with his substitution and we wanted to resolve it. We worked hard for that. But when I spoke with Rafa, he said he had no issues with anyone and that he wanted to quit football," the Besiktas President began by explaining.

Serdal Adali continued, regarding the former Benfica player: "After some time, he changed his mind and said he wanted to go somewhere else, giving different reasons. There’s no need to look for someone to blame. We wanted Rafa from the very beginning. We didn’t owe Rafa anything financially. We still have the same expectations of him. We have always treated him with great care, attending to all his needs. He was welcomed as our player. As a Besiktas fan, would I want one of my best players to leave?".

"If he wants to leave, he was informed that there would be a release clause. Rafa’s agent replied: ‘Let me bring three million euros and let him leave.’ This is Besiktas. Players cannot set their own rules here. If a player wants to leave Besiktas, Besiktas sets the terms and the final decision is up to Besiktas. Rafa is a contracted player. Either he immediately reciprocates the affection shown to him and fulfills his obligations until the end of his contract, or he hands over the contract and leaves. If he doesn’t accept, he won’t be able to go anywhere until the end of the contract. If necessary, we’ll pay him and he’ll stay here. But no one can just leave simply because they want to. No one can disrespect Besiktas. If necessary, we will go to FIFA," he stated, issuing a warning to the former Benfica player.

Serdal Adali concluded by assuring that Rafa will make a decision later this Saturday, November 15. The Besiktas coach was also present to explain the situation: "In the week of the match against Kasimpasa, the situation reached an unsustainable point. The player immediately declared that he would not train or play (...) Rafa is very important to us and the door is still open (...) How can I talk to Rafa Silva? The man doesn’t speak. He doesn’t deign to talk. He meets with the president. He adores the president".

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