Sevilla veteran Fernando Reges has apologised for his gesture towards Jose Luis Mendilibar, after which the Basque coach was sacked.
During Mendilibar’s final game, Rayo Vallecano went 2-0 up at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, and took action by replacing Fernando in the 35th minute with Ivan Rakitic. As he came off, Fernando refused to shake Mendilibar’s hand, and wagged his finger in disapproval at his coach.
El enfado de Fernando con Mendilíbar. #LALIGAEASPORTS#LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/v424ziBvrg
— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) October 7, 2023
After being substituted in the first half of Jose Luis Mendilibar's last game as #SevillaFC manager, Fernando Reges lost his cool with his coach.
He has now admitted it was not his finest moment. pic.twitter.com/O0aKVr6xKz
— Football España (@footballespana_) October 19, 2023
Relevo asked if he understood why Mendilibar had taken him off in the subsequent days, after he explained his decision in what would be his final press conference.
“Yes. In the end it is a situation in which at the moment you decide poorly. I think he wanted to make a change, I don’t know, change something that was in his head, he will know what he wanted to do. At that moment I was left without knowing what to do, without explanation. Then I understood that he wanted to make that change and that’s it. I think every coach has his own way of thinking, he thought that way and I think I can’t do anything. It’s already in the past and we have to move on.”
Fernando went on to say that his relation with Mendilibar was good, that the veteran coach was a gentleman with him, and he had a lot of affection for Mendilibar.
“Ultimately, I don’t have cockroach blood. In a moment like this, sometimes you react. Of course later, when you stop for 10 or 15 minutes and think about it, you say ‘no’. If I’m fine, calm, of course I wouldn’t have reacted like that. But in a moment of heat one reacts that way. It was a gesture that I shouldn’t have done, but I also think that it wasn’t such an ugly gesture. I told him not to make that change, but I know that he has the authority to decide and that’s it, there’s not much more to say. He is the coach and he is the one who decides.”
Fernando, who has already declared that this will be his final season in Seville, after four years defined mostly by success. One of the reasons was the demanding nature of playing for Sevilla, and the obligation to win. The veteran Brazilian was positive about new coach Diego Alonso too, stating that the Uruguayan coach was clear on his priorities.
