‘I made a mistake’ – ex-Celtic star apologises as flower row causes uproar at Champions League match
Jeremie Frimpong, a former Celtic player, has expressed regret to Atletico Madrid fans for allegedly disobeying a long-standing club custom.
For almost thirty years, it has been customary to place an arrangement of flowers at one of the corner flags before to home games at Metropolitano Stadium.
As a tribute to her favorite player, Milinko Pantic, 76-year-old Margarita Luengo, one of Atletico’s most recognizable supporters, has been placing the flowers in the same location on matchdays since 1996.
Despite being the most well-known flowers in Spanish football, they were the focus of criticism during Tuesday night’s Champions League match between Atletico and Bayer Leverkusen.
Piero Hincapié had put the German team ahead just before halftime, but Julian Alvarez’s double in the second half gave the La Liga team a 2-1 victory.
Frimpong kicked the visiting players into the advertising boards as they attempted to approach the corner flag, where Maragrita’s flowers were placed at the side of the field, during the festivities for Leverkusen’s opening match.
The act caused a commotion in the stands, as several Atletico supporters stood up and made angry gestures at the Dutch defender. José María Giménez, the home center-back, then approached the Leverkusen player and his colleagues.
Since then, Frimpong has apologized on social media, acknowledging that when he kicked the flowers off the side of the field, he had no idea what they meant.
“After the game yesterday, I learned about the tradition of the bouquet of flowers at the Metropolitano,” the 24-year-old posted on X. I was unaware of it, and I made a mistake when I became very excited prior to the goal. I apologize to Margarita and the Atletico supporters in particular.
The sell-on fee included in the deal that brought Frimpong to Leverkusen three years ago might give Celtic a significant cash boost during the January transfer window. After helping Xabi Alonso’s team win their first Bundesliga title last season, the right-back has been a huge popular in Germany.
The English Premier League has taken notice of Frimpong’s play, with Manchester United and Liverpool being closely linked to a bid for the Dutch international, who is rumored to have a £35 million release clause. Celtic might collect almost £7 million if the German champions sell him for that sum. According to sources, the Parkhead team is entitled to 30% of any profits from the £11.5 million Leverkusen spent to acquire his services in January 2021.
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