Arbeloa accuses whistleblowers of campaigning against the president of Real Madrid
Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has blamed ‘campaigns’ against the club and the president for Florentino Perez’s whistles against Levante on Saturday. it was the first time in ten years that such displeasure had been publicly shown by Real Madrid fans against Perez.
Chants of ‘Florentino, wesula’ were also heard at one point during the match, between the players being heavily beaten by the Bernabeu. After the match, Arbeloa said that those who whistled at his president were ‘not Real Madrid fans’. He was asked if some Real Madrid fans might be offended by his words.
“I will repeat what I said the other day. As a former youth player, as a player, and especially as a coach, I have a lot of respect for the fans and their right to express themselves as they see fit. Boycotting weakens the team, it weakens Real Madrid. I know there are campaigns to weaken Real Madrid and I know who is behind it. They will not deceive me.”
Asked to elaborate on who was holding the campaigns, Arbeloa refused to reveal what he knew.
“You are journalists. I am the coach of Real Madrid and I am focused on the game against Monaco. My goal is to play the best game and keep improving. That is where I put all my energy and enthusiasm.”
‘The Bernabeu is ready’ – Arbeloa on the Bernabeu whistle
One of the main topics in Kylian Mbappe’s press conference, which took place before Arbeloa spoke to the media, was the whistles received by his teammates. He criticized the fans for selecting certain players, but Arbeloa did not want to question the Bernabeu’s opinion on the players.
“I can see that you are very worried about the whistles. I know what the Bernabeu crowd is like. I have told the players. If anything is right, it is the Bernabeu crowd. They want to see the way they like to play; we are working on it. We know they will be with us. The fans want to see their team. We are focused on tomorrow. We are looking forward to playing with them.”
‘Vinicius wants support from the Bernabeu’ – Arbeloa
The player most targeted by fans has been Vinicius Junior, who has been whistled in the last three home games. Mbappe noted that ‘a happy Vinicius is a different player’, and Arbeloa noted that he needs the fans behind him to perform at his best.
“Vini, what he wants, what I hope and what I wish for, is the support of the Bernabeu for all his players, and above all, for Vinicius. He has been writing his story for many years. He has given us two magical Champions League titles. And he needs the Bernabeu to bring out his best. He has a big heart and is very sensitive. His football coach, the Bernabeu shows that in Icinabe as a player who likes Vinius. players.”
Los Blancos will face AS Monaco at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night at 21:00 CEST, in their Champions League penalty shootout. Real Madrid are currently sitting in 7th place, but they are only in eighth place on goal difference.
