“I am a father and I am ashamed that my children see what I did”

On February 1, Gelson Martins conditioned his closest future. The Portuguese pushed Lesage, a referee from the match between Monaco and Nimes, after he sent off Bakayoko for an inning. The winger also saw red, in this case, direct.

The action raised controversy and Gelson was sanctioned with six months without playing. The stoppage of the League due to coronavirus five weeks later caused it to compute only one month and one week of sanction and the LFP decided that it would have to comply with the sanction until November, extending it for several more months.

Monaco appealed and, before Thursday the footballer has to go to testify for this sanction, he wanted to explain his version in L'Equipe. “I understand that what I have done is not right. It should not be done. I am a father and I am ashamed that my children can see the images. I was punished harshly and I accept it. But seeing that when everyone comes back, I won't be able to do it, it can only make me sad, “he said.

The extreme does not justify the action but he did want to explain how he felt. “I was in a bad time. I had a lot on my mind, problems to solve regarding my situation at Sporting. I was not feeling good. When it happened, I didn't recognize myself. It will never happen again. At the end of the game, I went to apologize to the referee and explained everything to him, “he adds and adds data: this was the only game of his career in which he has seen a direct red card.

The Portuguese assures several times in this newspaper that he accepts the sanction but does not understand this second extension. “They change that sanction for something that is not my fault. The championship has stopped but I have nothing to do with it. I do not understand. I feel like they have cut my wings. I know what I did was not good but I think I have learned and I have already paid the price I had to pay “, judgment in addition to explaining that he is faced with options that the appeal is favorable to his interests.