Opinion: Kepa shows he has balls but only ends up being a dick
“No, no, no!” Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga yelled to the bench at the dawn of the Carabao Cup extra time. His hands and gestures denoted frustration when Chelsea’s manager Maurizio Sarri ordered the substitution.
When the local sound announced that Willy Caballero was taking Kepa’s place, the Spaniard goalkeeper implied a disrespectful signal to his coach. And he refused to leave the pitch.
Sarri’s decision to take Kepa out wasn’t impulsive, nor planned. The Spanish goalkeeper went twice to the ground and the medical team checked Kepa’s physical status. Penalties were around the corner, so it was essential to have a goalkeeper in optimal status.
However, Kepa decided to stay. Even referee Jonathan Moss went to Chelsea’s bench to give a solution to the problem.
According to FIFA’s substitution process, a footballer is not obligated to leave the pitch. “If a player who is about to be replaced refuses to leave the field of play, play continues.”
Kepa’s action showed a lack of respect to his coach, teammates and the institution that he represents. Even Pablo Zabaleta and John Terry were surprised.
“If your number goes up, you have to come off. Where does that leave the rest of the Premier League players in the future games coming up? The players start refusing to come off?” Terry explained to Sky Sports after the match ended.
In football, there is a non-explicit code behind every coaching decision. A player might not like what the manager decides before, during or after the game. Even if the footballer doesn’t agree with it, there’s a need to respect the coach’s will.
Kepa didn’t just disrespected Sarri’s decision. He publicly shamed him at Wembley — in a final — and left Caballero out of playtime.
Chelsea lost in penalties. Kepa stopped one but failed to prevent another. Chelsea’s defeat wasn’t Kepa’s fault. Even so, he showed a selfish and incorrect attitude toward everyone.
“As a player, you have to respect the manager’s decision. (Do it) for the player, (do it) for the teammates. Then you can talk in the dressing room, or tomorrow in the training ground, and tell the manager you weren’t happy with the decision. But in the game, you have to do it,” Zabaleta, a former Argentinean national player and ex-teammate of Caballero, commented to Sky Sports.
After the match, Sarri managed the incident in the best way possible, accepting that it was a misunderstanding. According to him, Kepa apologized to the technical staff and team, although “it was not enough.”
Every player knows that no one is above the institution. No player has the authority to deny minutes to another teammate just because he or she doesn’t feel it. No player should defy and publicly shame a manager.
Kepa did wrong. He was selfish, disrespectful and his master plan failed. In his overreaction, Chelsea lost a title, and he set a precedent of disobedience in the Premier League.
He had three minutes of fame. In those three minutes, Kepa demonstrated that he had the balls to stay on the field; however, he taught us how to be a prick.
Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.
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