Controversial Statements by José Velásquez on the Argentina 78 World Cup

After the controversy sparked by his statements about players who would have "sold out" in the Argentina 78 World Cup match against the hosts, which earned him threats of legal action, José Velásquez came out of his winter quarters to talk about the current hot topic: the Guerrero Case.

True to his style, the 'Patrón' stated that the national team never depended on Paolo Guerrero. On the contrary, he depended on his teammates. "Paolo has always depended on the 10 players who have played, and not the other way around," he said to El Popular newspaper.

Smoke screen

With the same certainty, Velásquez claimed that all the fuss generated by Paolo Guerrero's suspension is being taken advantage of (or encouraged) by the government to distract the population and prevent them from realizing what is happening around them.

"They are creating a smoke screen with the Paolo issue while things are skyrocketing in the markets. Come on, really?" he fired.

Finally, the 'Patrón' expressed his confidence that the national team will advance beyond the group stage in Russia 2018. "Peru has formed a good team collectively, and I believe we will make it to the round of 16," stated the former footballer.