Football
Adriana Garcia 6y

Arturo Vidal 'likes to drink and doesn't control himself' - Sampaoli in 2015

Former Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli said midfielder Arturo Vidal was "a case for a medical specialist" in comments made to journalists in 2015.

Las Ultimas Noticias published details of Sampaoli's remarks, made in the year that his Chile side won the Copa America on home soil.

Sampaoli, now the Argentina coach, said Bayern Munich midfielder Vidal "likes to drink and doesn't control himself," with his claims published in the aftermath of Chile's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

He said: "When we were coming back on the plane from Lima, he asked me if he could open a beer he had bought at the airport.

"I told him no, that there would be directors and others on the plane. He ended up getting a bottle of whisky with some others anyway and I ended up having to fire the driver, even though I knew that it was Vidal's fault.

Chile captain Claudio Bravo said after the failure to reach the World Cup that he was considering international retirement.

His wife, Carla Pardo, questioned some of the Chile players' professionalism, alleging that some could not take part in training because of "the drunkenness they had."

Bravo's mother-law, Pilar Lizana, defended her daughter's comments and told TV station Canal 13: "She must have been overwhelmed with rage knowing what was going on in the national team" and alleged that "Vidal would turn up drunk."

Two years ago, on a day off from international duty, Vidal lost his licence after crashing his car when driving back from the Monticello casino in Chile while under the influence of alcohol.

The midfielder has said he wants to continue playing for Chile after declaring last month that he would retire from international duty after the tournament.

He sat out the final qualifier, a defeat in Brazil, through suspension but wrote on Twitter: "A warrior can cry, feel fear, even disappointment but he never gives up.

"This is a difficult time and here is where you see the strong. Chile is a team of warriors. I'm proud to be part of this group. I'm not going to abandon it. Whenever I'm called upon, I will go to my national team.

"All together, we are going to come back stronger than ever."

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