Zebina: I'm a changed man
Juventus defender Jonathan Zebina assures he has “changed” after sitting out a four-match ban for slapping a cameraman.
“Of course, if that person had not been there, I would have gone straight to the locker room, as I had intended,” explained the Frenchman.
He was sent off for two bookable offences at Cagliari’s Stadio Sant’Elia when he got into an argument with a steward on the sidelines and slapped him across the face.
“This is a matter I will talk about honestly now, but do not wish to discuss again, because it was very irritating for me. It gave an image of myself that is completely different to what everyone knows.
“As I told my dear mother, who was not proud of what I did, this is certainly a weakness I have had for some time. I have often been sent off for reacting or taking my protests too far rather than any violent fouls.”
Zebina’s disciplinary record has always been a problem, but he is trying to turn over a new leaf.
“This month on the sidelines forced me to think about that. I didn’t need to make a conscious decision to change – I simply have changed.”
In fact, he put some of the blame for that incident on Coach Claudio Ranieri and his own immaturity.
“My gesture cannot be justified. It was a terrible mistake for a professional like me,” commented the former Roma man.
“The tension started long before the Cagliari match, as I was so disappointed and upset to be left out of the opening game. I had been waiting for that moment for a year, ever since we went into Serie B, so that hit me hard.”
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