Rafinha given extended vacation by Schalke

Bundesliga side Schalke’s coach Felix Magath has allowed Brazilian defender Rafinha to extend his home vacation and will not require him to return to Germany for Sunday’s Bundesliga match in Cologne.

“I have allowed Rafinha to remain longer in his homeland to take care of his affairs,” Magath said on Thursday.

Magath said Rafinha had been “totally depressed” after a 1-0 home loss to Freiburg, during which he was booed by the home fans, who thought he was about to move to another club. The report turned out to be untrue.

Magath blamed Rafinha’s agent for the confusion and said that the situation “had been corrected.”

The coach said that Rafinha was expected to bring his family to Germany and “I believe him when he says he wants to make a new start.”