Manuel Pellegrini backs Matías Almeyda after tough ban | OneFootball

The conflict between Vinicius and Gianluca Prestianni is not the only one capturing the attention of Spanish football. In the latest round of La Liga in Spain, Matías Almeyda found himself embroiled in a scandal following his expulsion in Seville during the 1-1 draw against Chacho Coudet's Alavés, for which he received a seven-match suspension! This came after the damning report by referee Iosu Galech Apezteguía. This Friday, Manuel Pellegrini defended him.

The Engineer, the Chilean coach of Betis, the classic rival of the Seville team, spoke at a press conference before receiving Rayo Vallecano and described the sanction for Pelado as "unfair." "As a fellow professional, it's regrettable that he has this number of suspension matches," said the historic coach.

On February 14, at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium and for matchday 24, Sevilla drew 1-1 with Alavés, and towards the end of the match, Almeyda came face to face with referee Iosu Galech Apezteguía, who showed him the red card. Pelado tried to confront him again but was separated by staff and substitutes.

After the match, the referee left a damning report, stating that the coach confronted him with gestures and shouts of disapproval, and then refused to leave the technical area. In this scenario, the Disciplinary Committee gave him:

"I consider it unfair. Whether it’s more or fewer matches, it could have been avoided. Nothing justifies people's reactions, but my expulsion is unfair, and we could have avoided much of this," Almeyda stated in a press conference. "All human beings make mistakes, but in my case, there are no insults. Reactions are another matter,”

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