Benitez: No excuse for Madrid incident
Granada midfielder Dani Benitez says he has “no excuse” for the bottle-throwing incident after the final whistle in the game with Real Madrid last weekend.
In the midst of ugly scenes at the end of the match, which the relegation-threatened Andalusians lost 2-1 and conceded a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and a David Cortes own goal in the last 10 minutes, Benitez was seen to launch a bottle that struck referee Clos Gomez in the face.
Angry Granada players had surrounded the official at the end of the 90 minutes, with both Moises Hurtado and Guilherme Siqueira receiving red cards for their protests, and the arguments carried on down the tunnel and into the referee’s changing room afterwards. Even so, the 26-year-old said in a Press conference he now wishes to apologise
“It was not right what happened and I apologise to everybody and all the people who were in the ground at the time,” declared Benitez, who is on loan at Los Carmenes from Udinese. “I have no excuse and when I threw the bottle I went straight to the dressing rooms because I know what comes over me.”
Benitez revealed he is now devastated he cannot be with his teammates for the crucial clash with Rayo Vallecano on Sunday as Granada bid to avoid the drop, and says he tried to apologise to the referee but is expecting a “long ban”.
“I tried to say sorry to Clos Gomez after the game but there were 35 policemen there and I was unable to do so. I am expecting a long ban but hope it won’t be longer than for any other player in a similar situation. What happened should be a lesson for both myself and my teammates,” he added.
Related Articles
|