Mohamed El Assy: 'The Club has applied an internal disciplinary sanction to Aridane'

UD Almería Managing Director Mohamed El Assy has explained to the official media the Club's position regarding the accident caused by Aridane last week. The Almería CEO expressed absolute rejection of what he did and detailed the steps the Club has taken.

What does the Club have to say about the events involving Ariadne last Friday?

'The Club has taken action with the player from the very beginning. As soon as we learned what had happened, we met with Aridane, and I told him that we were against what he did. It was a serious mistake, and we had to apply our internal regulations for these cases. We also had to hear his reaction, and from the outset, he showed remorse.'

What did he tell you?

'He has apologised many times and keeps repeating it. He spoke with his teammates that same Friday. That's why he came as soon as he could to have a meeting with us and the rest of the team. His team-mates also made him see that it was a big mistake.'

Why didn't the Club make a statement on Friday?

'We had a trip that same afternoon and the next day we had a very important match, very important. I wanted everyone to only talk about the match, about FC Andorra. We needed all our internal focus on that match. Of course, we were reacting internally, as I mentioned before. Sometimes it's better to hold back, especially thinking about the team.'

Did the Club accept those apologies?

'Aridane isn't a child. He's an adult and his apology was sincere. He's very sorry. He has let us know, but that doesn't excuse his punishment. The important thing in these cases is that he knows he did something very wrong. The fans are disappointed… He knows it and I know it. It's normal. He feels indebted to everyone. He's going to bear that disappointment and he has told us he's going to fight for forgiveness and to make up for his mistake. Aridane is part of the team despite that serious error.'