UEFA have issued an apology for the error that saw three key Tottenham stars miss out on their Europa League winners’ medals during the post-match celebrations against Manchester United.
In an oversight in Bilbao, Spurs captain Son Heung-min, midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and defender Cristian Romero were left medal-less as they hoisted the trophy aloft. This occurred despite injured team-mates James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, who were not part of the matchday squad, receiving their medals on stage with the rest of the squad.
Son, Bentancur, and Romero initially looked bemused by the absence of their medals but quickly set aside their confusion to revel in Tottenham‘s first significant silverware in 17 years. UEFA later clarified that the players were awarded their medals behind the scenes, stating: “To our great displeasure, we did not have enough medals available on stage during the trophy ceremony presentation due to an unexpected discrepancy in the player count, as more team members – including injured players – participated in the ceremony than initially anticipated.
“The missing medals were promptly delivered to the winning team in the dressing room, along with our sincerest apologies for the oversight.”
Injured star Maddison donned his full kit for the ceremony, quipping to CBS Sports: “They said I had to put the kit on to get a medal! I didn’t want to do a John Terry!
“What a special feeling. Winning makes [the season] all alright – the pain of not being able to play is not being able to help the team. It is a brilliant achievement and a way to qualify for the Champions League but it is more winning for the fans. They have had years of pain.”
Captain Son added: “This is what I’ve always dreamed for. Today is the day it happened. I am the happiest man in the world. When you look at the whole season there will always be some situation you have a tough time but we as players always stuck together.
“I felt the pressure. I wanted it so badly. The last seven days I was dreaming about this game every night. It finally happened and I can sleep easy now! We can celebrate today so let’s just make it one we will never forget and maybe I will miss the flight tomorrow!”.
A version of this article first appeared on the Mirror website
Content Source: www.express.co.uk