Why was Luka Menalo expelled in Murska Sobota? Behind the scenes, there is a family tragedy, even Celje organized a press conference
Photo: Urban Lesjak
Last weekend in the Prva liga Telemach, Mura and Celje clashed, with the guests from the princely city securing a 3:1 victory. However, despite the victory being already sealed, Luka Menalo lost his temper completely in the dying moments of the match. He angrily shoved Mura’s player Leard Sadriu, then visibly agitated yelled at him, and finally had to be calmed down by his teammates, who could barely drag him away. It was immediately clear that something unpleasant had happened, prompting Celje to organize a press conference.
In front of the media, club president Valerij Kolotilo and captain Denis Petrović took the stage, accompanied by Dejan Stefanović, president of the SPINS union. During the press conference, it was revealed that Luka Menalo was subjected to an inappropriate comment related to the tragedy that befell him and his wife. While the Mura player may not have been aware of it, his words nevertheless caused former Olimpija member Menalo to completely lose his composure.
“We watch football and footballers, who are not robots but people. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget this. We don’t care enough for each other, so we all need to think about it carefully. The union is also informed about this and will present its stance. Football should be a reason for happiness, a celebration. But let’s not forget that we are humans. How would you react in such a situation? I don’t know, no one knows. We have forgotten what respect means, a slogan also advocated by UEFA,” said Valerij Kolotilo during the press conference, which lasted more than half an hour.
Denis Popović added: “I would rather we talk about the match, but what happened, happened. We players learned about the tragedy after the game. All I can say is that Luka is an exceptional guy, he has shown himself to be an excellent person and footballer. What happened to him and his partner… We stand by him. He didn’t choose the right way, but from a human perspective, we understand him. The team stands by him, and I hope he will be the real Luka again soon, smiling and happy.” Stefanović also emphasized that the disciplinary judge of the Football Association of Slovenia must undoubtedly take mitigating circumstances into account when imposing penalties.
“During matches, verbal duels often occur. In the heat of battle, Luka told me something that deeply affected me, so I reacted in the same way. After the match, I learned about the difficult situation he had experienced, and I regretted the words I had said. In these difficult moments, I wish him all the best,” said 22-year-old Leard Sadriu, presenting his view of the incident echoing across the football world.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet