César Azpilicueta, one of the four captains of the Spanish team concentrated in Las Rozas for the qualifying matches for the Euro Cup in Germany against Georgia and Cyprus, passed through the press room of the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas this morning in a quite concise, in which he did not want to elaborate too much on the players' statement with which they condemned the behavior of Luis Rubiales, the suspended president of the Federation.
"Agreeing on everything is very difficult. We are 24 players and we couldn't talk about Rubiales before, but the 24 of us did what we felt we had to do, and we did it quickly. Issuing a unanimous statement is not easy, but it was what we considered our responsibility", answered the question of whether the players' statement came too late and was very lukewarm.
Regarding the applause of the coach Luis de la Fuente for Rubiales in the assembly in which the former president announced that he was not going to resign, Azpilicueta said very little: "He acted like that and rectified. He is the coach and sportingly speaking we will fight for the goals All this surprised me, but I have nothing to do with it. I just arrived."
The idea that Azpilicueta wanted to convey is the one that the Federation sells and was conveyed in the players' statement. Now what matters is to turn the page and focus on football. "The events are there, but the sporting reality is different; we have to give our best because we represent millions of Spaniards. It is full of pride to see the kids come to see us after school," he said.
The now Atlético full-back acknowledged not having spoken with Luis Rubiales nor with the world champion soccer players to show them his support. When asked what he thought of the players' decision not to return to the national team while Jorge Vilda is there, he commented: "It is their decision. We respect it. We have a responsibility. We have to help and we are with them."
On a more strictly sporting level, he praised De la Fuente's group: "I have found a group with a lot of desire and young players. These guys have self-confidence. When I was 17 years old I didn't look like them. I never had incredible talent "But I know you have to work. My advice is to give your best because the pressure is brutal. I've seen many teammates since 2004 who have fallen by the wayside. The Ballon d'Or is one a year. My advice is not to waste no day, football goes very fast", he commented.
The Atlético winger had good words for Lamine Yamal: "He's a fantastic player. It's a pleasure to see young players."
