Brazil’s Flamengo discovered themselves embroiled in a dramatic saga as assistant coach Pablo Fernandez confronted the wrath of the membership for punching star striker Pedro within the dressing room.
The bombshell determination to fireside the 52-year-old Fernandez got here after an emergency assembly with membership honchos.
It appears that head coach Jorge Sampaoli’s future on the membership forward of their high-stakes Copa Libertadores spherical of 16 conflict with Paraguay’s Olimpia hangs within the steadiness as a consequence of his assistant’s assault.
Brazilian striker, Pedro did not maintain again as he accused Fernandez of touchdown a stunning blow on his unsuspecting face.
The incident reportedly unfolded proper after Flamengo’s 2-1 victory in opposition to Atletico Mineiro in a Brazilian championship match.
The Minas Gerais police claimed that the irate assistant coach even slapped the younger star thrice earlier than delivering the notorious knockout punch.
Pedro took to Twitter to announce that he had formally filed costs in opposition to Fernandez.
The striker additionally voiced his frustrations with Sampaoli’s different assistants, hinting at a boiling cauldron of tensions simmering throughout the squad for the reason that Argentinian coach’s takeover in April.
“The physical cowardice came after the psychological cowardice I have endured in recent weeks,” Pedro stated. “May God forgive a person who believes, in 2023, that a physical assault will sort out any problem.”
Fernandez apologized in an try to salvage the wreckage of his profession.
He was “distraught and willing to resolve the situation” with Pedro as swiftly as attainable.
Fernandez pointed to “high-stress situations that make us react and think badly.”
While he kept away from utilizing his circumstances as an excuse, he hoped it will a minimum of make clear the complexity of his actions.
However, this isn’t the primary time Fernandez’s mood has led to devastating penalties.
He was beforehand suspended by France’s Ligue 1 in 2021 after he punched a fan throughout an intense altercation at a match between Olympique Marseille and Nice.
Amid the whirlwind of controversy, Sampaoli added his voice to the dialog together with his personal assertion, advocating for a dialogue-driven decision to the disaster.
Having labored with Fernandez since 2019, the Argentinian coach is all too conscious of the complexities of the state of affairs.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
