West Ham United defender Vladimir Coufal has admitted he is deeply sorry for the incident which saw him kicked of Czech Republic’s international squad.
Idnes cover comments from the defender today, who has publically apologised for the incident and insisted he will be doing his utmost to prove his doubters wrong and return in future.
Coufal was one of three players kicked out of Czech Republic’s squad this week following an unsanctioned visit to a night club in Olomouc.
They elected to visit the night club alongside Tomáš Neumann, a member of the FAČR executive committee, partying until the early hours despite their upcoming games.
The incident naturally led to plenty of criticism and even led to manager Jaroslav Šilhavý deciding to quit his role, despite having qualified for the tournament next summer.
Coufal, alongside Jakub Brabec and Jan Kuchta were sent home, with the player linking up with West Ham early and forced to watch on from home as his country qualified for Euro 2024 in his absence with a 3-0 win over Moldova in their final game of qualifying.
He was delighted to see that happen despite not being able to be a part of it and Idnes now report he has admitted to his mistake, sharing his disappointment in himself at how matters had transpired.
“I am very happy that the Czech national team advanced to Euro 2024 yesterday,” they report the West Ham man saying.
“I offer my hearty congratulations to everyone who participated in this. I made a huge mistake on Saturday, which I will regret for the rest of my life.
“For the first time in my life, I violated my own principles, which I believed in and strictly followed throughout my career. I know I was somewhere two days before the game where I had no business being.
“I have always relied on professional behaviour, which I have now violated. With this stupid mistake, I deprived myself of a wonderful experience with the team, which the promotion to the Euros undoubtedly is. Everyone who knows me knows that this is the highest punishment for me.
“I regret it all the more because I am a representative and a role model for many children, which has always been an honour for me. I appreciated it and I will do everything possible to make it so again in the future.
“I know I’ve let down a lot of people I care about, that’s the worst feeling for me. I have disappointed myself and my principles and the life path that I have been following for a very long time.”
