Alexis Sanchez Confirms Chile Bust-Up
Alexis Sanchez has confirmed reports of a Chile dressing-room bust-up.
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Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez has confirmed reports of a dressing-room bust-up with Chile team-mate Marcelo Diaz, but played down the ferocity of the argument.
The 26-year-old clashed with designated set-piece taker Marcelo Diaz over who should take a free kick, but says everything is "calm" as they prepare for the Copa America
Reports in Chile claimed the two players almost came to blows after their 1-0 friendly victory over El Salvador on Friday, a match in which Alexis demanded to take a 43rd-minute free kick ahead of designated set-piece taker Diaz.
Alexis' actions prompted a furious exchange of words, with Hamburg midfielder Diaz calling his team-mate greedy and criticising him for missing a training session according to El Mercurio, before skipper Gary Medel and others were reportedly forced to intervene.
But when questioned about the confrontation in a press conference on Monday, the former Barcelona attacker said the altercation had been blown out of proportion and the argument has already been forgotten about.
"We're all good," said Alexis. "It was an exchange of opinions, like [the media] loves, it's normal. Everything's sorted, there's no fight and we are all calm, they're things that happen in a match."
The bust-up is hardly ideal preparation for Chile ahead of the Copa America, which they host this month, where Alexis will be hoping his excellent form for Arsenal in the past season can propel la Roja to victory.