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Roberto Ayala apologises for altercation with Dani Olmo after FIFA World Cup final, clarifies it was a push, not a punch.
Dani Olmo was involved in an altercation with Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala (Picture credit: AP)
Argentina’s assistant coach Roberto Ayala has said that, as a coach, he shouldn’t have reacted to Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo’s actions, adding that he is sorry for punching the latter at the end of the FIFA World Cup final, which Spain won 1-0 to bag their second title.
Ayala has since clarified the incident, insisting it was more of a push than a slap and claiming it occurred after Olmo said something to him. The former footballer also apologised to Olmo over the episode.
Ayala’s altercation with Olmo was happening at a moment when a few Argentine players were also involved in mini wars with their Spanish counterparts.
“Obviously I am sorry. Because of my position, I cannot allow a feeling, or what I might receive from the other party, to change my mood and my actions. I am sorry, but for me, these are things that stay there and that is it,” Ayala said while speaking to Sports Noon
“For me, things need to be put behind us and left there. It was more of a push than anything else; it was not a punch like they are saying and that is it. It was a reaction to something he said, but that is it,” Ayala added.
The assistant coach admitted the post-FIFA World Cup final altercations should never have happened, insisting he entered the field only to help defuse the situation and stop the fight.
“It is a shame and you have to accept the facts and the things you have done on the field. When the game ends, what I see is a fight in the middle of the pitch and we rush to go after our players and it ends up like that because that isn’t who we are,” Ayala said.
Roberto Ayala stated that Dani Olmo said something to him, which prompted Ayala’s reaction after the FIFA World Cup final. Ayala apologized for the incident, clarifying it was a push rather than a punch. The altercation occurred amidst other confrontations between players from both teams.
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