Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has said he was unimpressed with some of the behaviour on display by Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid players in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg this week.
In an ill-tempered match at the Santiago Bernabeu, which Los Blancos won 3-0, some Real players appeared to target Atletico forward Diego Costa. The Brazil-born Spain striker had scored on the same ground in his previous two appearances against Real.
Central defender Pepe seemed to have a running battle with Costa throughout the match and picked up a yellow card for his efforts, while full-back Alvaro Arbeloa watch picked up by TV cameras appearing to stand on his ankle while waiting for a free-kick to be taken.
Speaking to AS newspaper, Spain boss del Bosque said some of the behaviour was over the top and set a bad example to youngsters wtaching the game. Arbeloa and Costa could well be teammates in the Spain squad for the World Cup this coming summer.
“There were incidents and things in the derbi that I did not like. I know this is football, it can happen — but I did not like it,” del Bosque said.
“Each player should just worry about playing, performing at their best, defending their team. There were confrontations and behaviour that were not appropriate.”
