Chelsea management disciplines Kepa following Wembley incident

Chelsea’s first choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been fined by the club after refusing to come off during the Carabao Cup final, where they lost to Manchester City at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday, February 24.

According to sports news outlets in Europe, the 24-year-old Spaniard has been fined a week’s wages worth around £190,000 for his actions.

Kepa defied Maurizio Sarri’s orders – to be replaced by Willy Caballero in the final minute of extra time, leaving Sarri angry.

The Spaniard, however, apologised to his coach and teammates in a meeting held by the team on Monday.

“Although there was a misunderstanding, on reflection, I made a big mistake with how I handled the situation. I wanted to take the time today to apologise fully and in person to the coach, to Willy (Caballero), my team-mates and to the club. I have done this and now I want to offer the same apology to the fans. I will learn from this episode and will accept any punishment or discipline the club decides is appropriate.” Kepa said.

“Kepa and I have spoken about the incident. It was a good conversation. There was a misunderstanding yesterday but he realises he made a big mistake in the way he reacted. He has apologised to me, his team-mates and the club,”

“It is up to the club if they want to discipline him according to the club rules, but for me this matter is now closed. The team performance as a whole was extremely positive and it is a shame to see how this incident has overshadowed our efforts in what was a very competitive cup final,”

“Everyone’s focus is now on the next game and we must all now put this behind us.” Sarri added.

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