Vladimir Coufal has admitted he will “regret his huge mistake for the rest of his life” His apology comes as no surprise although given the man’s character and nature since arriving at West Ham his expulsion most certainly did. He was seen on video in a nightclub with two team mates at 2 am and having “broken the rules” of the national team was sent home. Now he plans to get his life back on the course he has always tried to travel and is clearly ashamed at his activities.
The incident has even seen the Czech Republic manager Jaroslav Šilhavý quit his role, despite having qualified for the tournament next summer. Coufal, Jakub Brabec and Jan Kuchta watched his team qualify for the Finals of Euro 2024 from London with a 3-0 win over Moldova in their final game of qualifying.
In apologising he said: “I am very happy that the Czech national team advanced to Euro 2024 yesterday. “I offer my hearty congratulations to everyone who participated in this. I made a huge mistake on Saturday, which I will regret for the rest of my life.
“For the first time in my life, I violated my own principles, which I believed in and strictly followed throughout my career. I know I was somewhere two days before the game where I had no business being. “I have always relied on professional behaviour, which I have now violated. With this stupid mistake, I deprived myself of a wonderful experience with the team, which the promotion to the Euros undoubtedly is. Everyone who knows me knows that this is the highest punishment for me.
“I regret it all the more because I am a representative and a role model for many children, which has always been an honour for me. I appreciated it and I will do everything possible to make it so again in the future. I know I’ve let down a lot of people I care about, that’s the worst feeling for me. I have disappointed myself and my principles and the life path that I have been following for a very long time.”
Blimey. Can everyone just calm down…
He made a mistake… drunk driving? No. GBH? Nope. Okay, maybe gambling, or cheating on his wife…? No. What then? He went for a dance when he should’ve been asleep like the good little football robot he is…
He apologised. He’s a good guy. Don’t beat yourself up, lad. Move on.