Vidal denies involvement in police incident at Chile casino

Arturo Vidal has denied any involvement in an incident that required police intervention at a casino in Chile, but acknowledged he had been at the venue earlier in the evening.

The Bayern Munich midfielder is on international duty in Chile and is reported to have been at a party with friends and family, which went on until the early hours of Tuesday.

Vidal initially denied being at the establishment at all, claiming that the media were attempting to tarnish his image.

However, addressing a news conference. Vidal admitted he had been in attendance but left well before the incident took place.

“A lot of untrue information was published. First, it is true that I went to the casino, I was there with my friends,” he said.

“I went to have dinner and remained there a while, then I left and went home. Then, in the morning I heard the news that the police went to the casino, and that the press included me in that incident. 

“That is something that makes me feel uncomfortable, because I cannot pay for what my friends do. They are big enough. 

“What bothers me is being included in such a complicated thing. I was in the casino and left, as the good professional that I am. 

“Because today I have to concentrate with the team and focus on the two matches that we have ahead of us. 

“I said it when I came here, I came here to win the six points [in Chile’s World Cup qualifers against Paraguay and Bolivia]. I do also share with my friends, but everything is in a relaxed way and obeying the rules of the national team. 

“Obviously the coach asked because he reads a lot of things. But he knows who I am and what I do. I have all his confidence and I had no problem telling him exactly what happened. 

“We spoke about our only focus which is to win matches in order to qualify for the World Cup.”

In June 2015, Vidal had his drivers’ license revoked after being involved in a car accident under the influence of alcohol when representing Chile in the Copa America.