Diego Costa has just become a topic for the football public’s conversation. This player, who is known to have a high temperament, is reaping controversy. This time, Costa got a direct red card at FC Barcelona against Atletico Madrid. He was expelled from the field after throwing insults at the referee.
This 30-year-old striker was showing too strong protest towards referee Jesus Gil Manzano. Costa looked very emotional when he expressed his objections. He even brought his face closer to the referee’s while doing so.
Quoted from various sources, the referee expelled Costa from the field after he made a rude insult. Meanwhile, there were other reports saying Costa also insulted the mother of the referee, Jesus Gil.
Because the incident was considered very excessive, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) immediately conducted an investigation. After a few days, Costa was finally sentenced. Diego Costa’s season is considered exhausted. The Atletico Madrid bomber was banned from playing for eight games after being sent off in the defeat against Barcelona.
‘Goal’ reported that the La Liga Disciplinary Commission decided to suspend Costa for four matches for insulting the referee as well as suspended in four additional matches for gripping the official’s arm. Despite being given the opportunity to appeal on Costa’s sentence within 10 days after the sanctions being imposed, Atletico’s coach, Diego Simeone considered the sentence to be excessive.
Reporting from Marca, Simeone said this sentence was unbelievable. He did not know what to say. For him, this is a complicated sentence.
Not only Simeone, Thomas Partey felt the same way. As reported by Marca, Thomas Partey believed the eight-match suspension given to Diego Costa is an unfair punishment. He even believes that the decisions issued by La Liga authorities must be reviewed and reduced.
After getting a heavy sentence, what will happen to Diego Costa in the future?
Costa’s punishment is sure to force Diego Simeone to play his brain faster than usual. Atletico striker is currently only occupied by the figures Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, and Nikola Kalinic. With Morata and Kalinic’s unstable performance practically leaving only Griezmann as a reliable player.
Costa’s absence for eight matches will also have a considerable effect on him. After having struggled with injuries and finally recovered, Costa had to be forced back not to appear on the field. His absence until the end of the season also made Simeone reconsiders Costa to play in the pre-season match if only Atletico did not meet the new attacker. As it is known, this big club in Wanda Metropolitano is reportedly monitoring Napoli’s striker Arkadiusz Milik to be brought in for the transfer market next summer.
Furthermore, his position can also be knocked out by several academy-built players who have begun to show progress. For example Borja Garces, the 19-year-old player who has just signed a new contract with Atletico until 2022. Garces’s contract extension cannot be separated from the role of Simeone who is so fond of the young talented attackers’ style of playing.
Then, news spread that Atletico began to run out of patience with Diego Costa. Costa’s second season after his comeback to Los Rojiblancos did not go smoothly. He was often plagued by injuries so he only made 21 matches from a total of 44 Atletico matches in the 2018/19 season. That means, Costa only played for 1,530 minutes of the possibility of 3,990 minutes playing in total. So far, only five goals have been donated by Costa to Atletico.
Costa is still bounded by a contract at Wanda Metropolitano until 2021. But with his conditions that have not been consistent and attitudes that do not mature, it is not impossible for Atletico to start hearing the offer sent to Costa in the transfer market next summer.
