Apparently Artuto Vidal took Chile’s shocking tie against Mexico in the Copa America way harder than most people expected. That, or he really just didn’t care at all and decided to go out and party. In any regard, Vidal, one of the most important players on the Chilean National Team, got into a car crash last night while driving under the influence.
Confirmado accidente de @kingarturo23 lesiones leves se espera parte medico e informe oficial. pic.twitter.com/yL5I73w8vN
— Red de Emergencia (@reddeemergencia) June 17, 2015A colonel of the Chilean National Police, Ricardo Gonzalez, confirmed that Vidal was indeed drunk.
Vidal has tweeted his out an apology.
Lamentablemente me vi involucrado en un accidente de tránsito. Por suerte estamos todos bien y tranquilos. Gracias x la preocupación!
— Arturo Vidal (@kingarturo23) June 17, 2015"Unfortunately I was involved in a traffic accident," reads Vidal’s tweet. "Luckily we are all well and calm. Thanks for worrying."
Footage has arisen on Reddit that shows Vidal talking to police after his accident. Translations of two exceptional dialogues have been provided by Reddit user clemenzzzz.
Vidal: How would I be driving this s***, how could I be so stupid, don't you think?
Police: Yes you f***ed up sir, you f***ed up.
Vidal: What, I f***ed up? Stop talking bulls***.
[...]
Vidal: Are you going to handcuff me?
Police: Don't make things harder than they are...
Vidal: You can handcuff me, but you'll f*** Chile over...
It is shocking that Vidal would be so undisciplined in the middle of representing Chile at the Copa America. The competition only comes around every four years, and it is a chance for he and his nation to prove themselves against giants of the game such as Brazil, Argentina, and the new kid on the block, Colombia.
As mentioned before, Vidal is one of the most important players for Chile. He and Alexis Sanchez are the two most talented players that Chile has, and they also command the most experience on the biggest stages in soccer; Vidal just played in the Champions League final. He is a leader for his team, and he as acted like an undisciplined, immature boy.
Chile’s head coach, Jorge Sampaoli, has come out and said that he will not remove Vidal from his squad.
"The accident Arturo had worried all of us. We're worried about Arturo and his family. All the coaches, we saw how he was. He's a very valuable player and we know he made a mistake.
"We gave the team a free day, as planned, and I don't think it has the magnitude that was expressed in the media.
"He has always had very good behaviour, pledging his future to Chile. He made a mistake. There are a load of things to weigh up. He is a player who has given us so much. What we need right now is to include him.”
"It's easier to exclude him than to include him…I don't think we should exclude someone for making a mistake.”
Follow Ivan on Twitter: @yetly
