Alcaraz sorry after celebration sparks red card melee
Carlos Alcaraz apologised to Boca Juniors fans after his celebration for Racing Club sparked a melee in which World Cup-bound referee Facundo Tello dished out seven red cards, taking the tally for the
The Argentine struck in the 117th minute to earn his side a 2-1 extra-time win in the Trofeo de Campeones final, before stripping his shirt off and dropping to his knees in front of opposition supporters.
His actions sparked a brawl involving both sets of players, with referee Tello – who will officiate at Qatar 2022 – dismissing five players from Boca and two from racing, including Alcaraz himself.
Following a further four dismissals earlier in the match, it meant 11 overall, with the contest consequently brought to a close as Boca only had six players on the pitch
"When I scored the goal, I only thought about celebrating," Alcaraz said.
"I apologise to the people of Boca if they were angry because I celebrated there. I would have loved to cross the field and celebrate with the Racing fans.
"I just knelt down and put my hands up, and they took it badly. It is clear that they did not like it."
Alongside Alcaraz, Racing defender Jonathan Galvan was also dismissed during the closing fracas, while Johan Carbonero had already been sent off in the 94th minute.
For Boca, Luis Advincula, Frank Fabra, and Dario Benedetto were all shown red too, as well as Carlos Zambrano and Diego Gonzalez, both of whom got involved from the bench.
Alan Varela, Sebastian Villa and manager Hugo Ibarra had all already been shown dismissed amid an ill-tempered encounter.
