CHILE MIDFIELDER ARTURO Vidal has issued a tearful apology after being charged for drink-driving.
The Juventus man crashed his Ferrari while driving under the influence of alcohol when he was on his way back to the Chile camp after a visit to the casino on Tuesday and was consequently detained by local police.
Vidal had his licence revoked following a court hearing on Wednesday but Chile opted against expelling him from their Copa America squad.
“I went to the casino, drank two drinks – like, two glasses – and had an accident that put at risk my wife’s life and that of a lot of people,” a tearful Vidal said at a press conference.
“I regret what happened. I want to thank all the people that supported me when I was with the police. I want to apologise to all my team-mates, to the people and to the entire country.
“It is hard to speak about this. I am really ashamed of what happened. I can only apologise.
I feel the support of the people and want to show on the pitch that this second I’m given is for something. I failed everybody, but I will do my best to be a champion.”
Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli stated earlier on Wednesday that he will not expel Vidal from his squad following a meeting with the national football association.
However, the public prosecutor asked for Vidal’s driving license to be withheld and for the player to sign monthly at the Chile consulate in Milan when he returns to Juventus, with the court accepting the prosecutor’s recommendation and setting a fixed-term research period of 120 days.
