Atletico Madrid U19 head coach Fernando Torres’ has refused to back down on his row with Real Madrid counterpart Alvaro Arbeloa.
The former Liverpool and Spain teammates were involved in a angry touchline row, as Los Blancos sealed a 4-2 aggregate win, in a Champions Cup Juvenil A quarter final second leg in Valdebebas.
Torres was enraged by Arbeloa’s conduct, pushed him, and allegedly threatened to ‘blow his head off’ in a tense exchange, which eventually saw Torres sent off.
The former striker was whistled and heckled by Real Madrid fans and he has since been handed a one-match suspension by the RFEF’s disciplinary judge as a result of his dismissal.
Despite the judgement, Torres claims he was mistaken to react to provocation, but insisted he will always back his players.
“I have seen the images and I don’t like what I see. I don’t recognise myself and it’s not my usual way of acting. I was wrong”, as per reports from Marca.
“It was a mistake to get involved in continuous provocations, especially as it left my team without their coach in extra time.
“I told the boys I made a mistake, but I will always defend my team when I see situations that I consider unfair, I defend them regardless of the consequences.”
Torres v Arbeloa caused a social media storm in the aftermath, but Torres insisted it is not the message he wants to project to his team.
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