Fekir sets off the alarms

Nabil Fekir was sent off in the 92nd minute of the match that Betis lost to Bayer Leverkusen and will be sanctioned by UEFA for between one and three games, something that will undoubtedly determine the role of the Verdiblanco team in their next continental appointments. There is caution in the club regarding the final sanction and the behavior of their player, who was involved in an attack on Demirbay in the final stretch of the Europa League clash in an avoidable set. The minutes of the referee, the Englishman Anthony Taylor, will decide if the sanction finally goes beyond what was expected: if he finally receives three games, he will miss the two remaining appointments of the group, against Ferencvaros and Celtic, and the next European stake.

The player did not comment so far on what happened. His name focused many spots throughout the week due to his substitution against Atlético de Madrid. He started at Leverkusen, led his team in the few offensive contributions he had and ran into the post on a good free-kick. The nerves and his character caused him to be expelled at the last breath. Both the club and the player hope that UEFA will not issue a sanction that is too harsh that could seriously harm Pellegrini’s team in its European future.

In the green-and-white dressing room, eyes are already on the derby, but some players made their views clear about what happened with Fekir. “They are things that nobody wants to happen. Nabil has a lot of character and personality. He does not like, they are situations that stain the sport, he knows that he has made a mistake. I hope he returns as soon as possible because for us he is a very important footballer,” he said Joaquin. Pellegrini tried to defend the Frenchman’s mistake in a certain way: “It was a mixture of frustration, the number of fouls he received, one more and a slap and he reacted because they are human beings and we will see what sanction the Committee dictates. It was an unexpected reaction but provoked “. Betis hope that this expulsion does not affect Fekir in terms of performance and that he can perform his best version against Sevilla.