Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says he and his teammates have rallied around Martin Caceres after his "mistake" on Monday night which cost him a place in the side to face Sevilla on Wednesday evening.
Caceres crashed his Ferrari in Turin and failed a breath test. The Uruguayan defender was fined by the police and had both his driving licence and his car confiscated. He faces a 180-day ban from driving and was dealt further punishment by his club.
"The conduct of Martin Caceres on the night of 28 September represents gross violation of his responsibilities as a Juventus player, as well as damaging the image of the club," read a statement on the Serie A club's website. "Juventus will thus take disciplinary action against the player in the form of a fine and his temporary suspension from the first team."
Buffon was more forgiving when he touched on the subject at Juve's prematch news conference on Tuesday.
"These things always happen, maybe just a little less when you are at a big club," Buffon said. "It's a mistake, but also a mistake by us as a group for this to happen on the eve of such an important game. Certainly it's a mistake.
"But Martin enjoys our full support. If ever you need anything, Martin's always there for you and he never lets you down. He's the first person to know he's made a mistake, and he knows that the timing was wrong.
"He's very sorry, particularly towards us. These are things that happen and you get through them. Winning games is the best way to help you forget these things in a rush."
.@gianluigibuffon: "We've all got full belief in Martin. He's a professional and the first to know he made a mistake." #JuveSevilla #UCL
- JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) September 29, 2015
Juventus will look to do that without Caceres on Wednesday night when they host Sevilla in their second Champions League group fixture, looking to build on a 2-1 win over Manchester City in their opener.
They may then be able to count on the defender again for their weekend clash with Bologna, when they will look to win their first league game at home this season after draws with Frosinone and Chievo and a defeat on the opening day of the season to Udinese.