Venezuelan football manager Rafael Dudamel injures a man during a confrontation in Montevideo
Venezuelan football manager Rafael Dudamel injured a man during a confrontation in Montevideo, where he traveled to define the logistics of the match against Uruguay on October 6 for the South American qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Dudamel got into a fight in the hotel lobby on Thursday night with Colombian Jairo Alberto Arciniegas, who had helped organize the Vinotinto's trip to Barranquilla for the match against Colombia in the seventh round of the pre-World Cup qualifiers.
"Unfortunately, a person who wanted to take advantage of his support for the national team on their last trip to Barranquilla attacked the manager Jesús Berardinelli, whom he took by surprise. When he attempted to do the same with me, I had to defend myself," justified the coach on Friday, quoted in a statement from the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF).
Berardinelli is the director of finances of the organization.
Uruguayan media published a photograph of Arciniegas showing his left cheek very swollen from a punch delivered by the former goalkeeper of the Venezuelan national team.
Dudamel was reported for personal injuries at a police station, according to the Uruguayan press, but the FVF stated that he and Berardinelli "went to the appropriate authorities and resolved the situation without any major problems."
"I deeply regret that this person wants to tarnish our name and the name of the national team with this kind of incidents," said Dudamel.
A source from the FVF consulted by AFP indicated that the coach was flying this Friday to Caracas and should not have any problems entering Uruguay for the match against the Celeste in the ninth round.
According to the FVF, Dudamel and the manager visited training grounds and hotels in preparation for the match.
Venezuela is currently in last place in the pre-World Cup standings, with two points in eight rounds, while Uruguay is the leader with 16 points, followed by Brazil (15), Argentina (15), Colombia (13), and Ecuador (13).