Real Betis defender Juan Miranda has apologised for his tackle on Sevilla veteran Jesus Navas.
During the final stages of the Seville derby, with both sides locked at 0-0, Miranda came in on Navas late and high, receiving a red card after a review by VAR.
La marca en la pierna de @JNavas 😯
Los rastros después de la entrada de Juan Miranda #LaLigaEnDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/g3UckzxbRT
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) May 21, 2023
Juan Miranda sent off for a horror tackle on Jesus Navas after a VAR review! 🟥
It's rare that you see a player caught that high on their back leg 😮 pic.twitter.com/UgsSaphQgD
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) May 21, 2023
An awful challenge, Navas had to be restrained by his teammates after he got up, looking furious. With the Europa League final against Roma just over a week away, it is no surprise that the 37-year-old was particularly furious.
La reacción de Navas tras la dura entrada de Miranda. #DeportePlus pic.twitter.com/c9qOaoeA1m
— #Vamos por Movistar Plus+ (@vamos) May 21, 2023
Miranda came out on Twitter on Monday to publicly apologise for the tackle.
“After yesterday’s play, I wanted to publicly apologise, although I already did so at the time. I can assure you that I did not have any bad intentions. These are moments of great tension and intensity and I wanted to play the ball fairly but I was late, putting my rival at risk.”
Tras la jugada de ayer, quería pedir disculpas públicamente aunque ya lo hice en el debido momento.
Puedo asegurar que no tuve ninguna mala intención. Son momentos de mucha tensión e intensidad y quise disputar limpiamente el balón pero llegué tarde poniendo en riesgo a mi rival.— Juan Miranda (@JMirandaG19) May 22, 2023
“Those who know me know that I would be incapable of going to harm any fellow professional and I highly respect Jesus as a footballer whose career is exemplary.”
🟢 “Juan Miranda entró en el vestuario del @SevillaFC y pidió disculpas a Jesús Navas” Iván Rakitic tras #ElGranDerbi@RealBetis pic.twitter.com/fQ5LH8nDDw
— Álvaro Muñoz Gómez (@AlvarooSVQ) May 21, 2023
After the match, it was confirmed by Sevilla’s Ivan Rakitic that Miranda had come into the home dressing room after the game to apologise for the tackle. Given the recent history of fiery encounters between the two sides, it is no surprise it threatened to spill over. However Miranda’s words will at least hopefully ease tensions between the two squads.
