Gonzalo Plata in hot water at Flamengo, ex-Sporting man faces ban | OneFootball

Flamengo has decided to impose a disciplinary fine on Gonzalo Plata, after the former Sporting player was sent off for the second time in just one week, in the draw against São Paulo in the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday, for the Brasileirão.

The Ecuadorian international had already received a straight red card in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores semi-final, against Racing. Despite this, Mengão managed to hold on to a 0-0 draw and secure a place in the final, where they will face Abel Ferreira’s Palmeiras.

This time, the former Sporting player was sent off again—also with a straight red card, in the 67th minute, after a hard tackle on an opponent. At the time of the infraction, Flamengo was leading 2-1, but ended up conceding the equalizer ten minutes from the end. At the end of the match, the coach of the Rio de Janeiro team spoke about the issue.

"Punishments always depend on the club’s management. Of course I’m involved. But what happened? A sending off like Plata’s today, it was unintentional. It was unintentional, he went for the ball and ended up hitting the opponent’s leg. A player who was giving absolutely everything for the team during the game, who was running. I will never blame a player for making a mistake like this. I am here to take the blame myself. As the person most responsible for the team, I am responsible for a draw like this," said Filipe Luís.

Although the coach defended the 25-year-old winger, the UOL Esporte portal reveals that the management of the Rio club considered this the second “stupid” sending off for Gonzalo Plata in just a few days, and thus decided to fine the player.

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