Portuguese Paulo Bento, coach of South Korea, apologized to his players after being sent off at the end of Monday’s match against Ghana for protesting against English referee Anthony Taylor, who prevented him from going on the bench on Friday in the decisive match on the third and final day of group H against Portugal.
The referee declared the end shortly after receiving a corner, without giving the Asian team the option to serve and try to find 3-3. Bento and several players immediately surrounded him to complain. The Portuguese’s enthusiasm earned him a red card, so against Portugal his assistant Sergio Costa had to be on the bench.
“I would like to tell my players that I’m sorry,” said Bento on Tuesday in a briefing at the training ground of the South Korean team in Doha.
“I am a person”
“I didn’t have the best reaction to the situation. After all, I’m human. I think I didn’t have enough respect for the referee, who is leading in the Premier League. I’m sorry for my players,” he said.
The Portuguese coach pointed out that, despite not being on the pitch, he trusts the ability of his assistants to lead the team: “I have competent and capable coaches.”
“They have been training with me all the time. It will not be exactly the same as having me on the bench, but they are good enough to do the job,” said Paulo Bento, who, under FIFA rules, will not be allowed to communicate in any way.with his assistants.
Maximum trust in your assistants
Bento, in this sense, commented that he has enough time until the match for his coaching staff to make “the best possible decisions. We will prepare for the game in a way that will help us maximize our strengths and reduce our weaknesses.”
“It’s not an ideal situation, but everyone in the team knows what we do all the time,” added the Portuguese, who declared that “football is like life. You have to accept a situation like this and move on. Because We did well in many aspects of the game, I don’t think the result was fair.”
The coach of the South Korean team pointed out that for the match against Portugal they should “try to keep the good work and learn from the mistakes of the last two games. Against a strong team like Portugal, you have to do your able.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
