Kepa apologizes to former Chelsea boss Sarri over EFL Cup fiasco

The Blues goalkeeper opened up about his infamous refusal to leave the pitch during the 2019 EFL Cup final against Manchester City.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has issued an apology to Maurizio Sarri over his actions in the 2019 EFL Cup final.

The Spaniard infamously refused to allow Sarri to substitute him for Willy Caballero during extra-time ahead of a penalty shoot-out. The manager was concerned Kepa had suffered a cramp. Therefore, he chose to bring on another goalkeeper with the scoreline still tied at 0-0.

But to Sarri’s fury, Kepa ignored the call. His actions sparked a widespread debate amongst fans and pundits alike, with many of them left unimpressed. Chelsea later lost the final to City 4-3 on penalties.

“Let’s just deal with that here once and for all,” Kepa wrote in the Player’s Tribune.

“It was all a big misunderstanding. After making a save, I felt something in my leg and I called for the physio to make sure it was nothing. Above all, though, I wanted to make sure that we as a team could catch our breath.

“Suddenly, I saw that the coach, Maurizio Sarri, had sent Willy Caballero to warm up. He thought I couldn’t go on. My intention, right or wrong, had only been to waste time to help the team. I didn’t have any serious problem that was going to keep me from continuing to play.

“I tried to signal that I was OK, that I wasn’t injured. But we were at Wembley in front of more than 80,000 people, so of course Sarri didn’t understand me.

“When the fourth official raised the board, clearly I should have come off, and I’m sorry I didn’t.

“I was wrong, and I am sorry for everyone who was involved: for Maurizio Sarri, who it seemed like I had undermined in public; for Willy, a teammate and a great professional; and for all my teammates and Chelsea fans who had to put up with everything – all the noise that was generated during the game and then in the days after.”