Lazio defender Luiz Felipe has taken to Instagram to apologize for jumping on the back of Joaquín Correa of Inter Milan after a league game.
He shared series of pictures of his time with Correa to prove that he and the Inter Milan star have been very close friends long before the incident.
On Sunday, October 17, 2021, Inter Milan visited Lazio to play a Serie A game which ended 3-1 in favor of the host. After the game, Luiz Felipe decided to jump on the back of his friend and former teammate Joaquín Correa.
Correa who was not happy with the outcome of the league game could not take the joke from his old friend, hence, he angrily pushed Luiz Felipe away.
The incident inspired players from both sides to exchange words, a development that forced the referee to show Felipe a red card.
After the 24-year-old Brazilian defender was red-carded for his gesture, he was seen crying while trying to explain the intention of his action to his teammates.
When clips of the incident landed on social media, it became a source for social media trollers to mock Luiz Felipe.
is Luiz Felipe dumb or unfortunate to get a red card after this? pic.twitter.com/DjD1CVHojc
— #TheSoccerPodcastWithNoName (@EnfusionSports) October 17, 2021
Amid the mockery, Felipe took to Instagram to reveal that he jumped on Correa’s back because he wanted to hug him and joke about the game with him.
He wrote: “I would like to comment on the negative effects regarding what happened today, at the end of the game. First of all, I want to clarify that I have great respect for Inter … We are all professionals, working to pursue our goals, and would never fail to respect another professional.
“At the end of the game, I jumped on Tucu’s shoulders because he is one of the great friends that football has given me. Our families are friends and we have always been very close … I wanted to hug him and joke about the result, as far as our friendship allows, but I got excited.
“Perhaps, in retrospect, it was not the best time or the most suitable place. I apologize to anyone who felt offended and I did not try, in any way, to be disrespectful towards him, towards other athletes or Internazionale and its passionate fans. It was an innocent act, by a person who has a great affection for Tucu !!”
Joaquín Correa defends his friend Luiz Felipe
Inter Milan forward, Joaquín Correa whom Luiz Felipe jumped on his back after Lazio beat Inter 3-1 on Saturday, has defended his friend’s gesture, asking those who have been trolling him to move on.
Correa described Felipe’s gesture as a mistake and acknowledged that his reaction towards it was bad. He blamed the way he reacted to the gesture on the heat of the moment. Recall that Correa’s team was just beaten by Felipe’s team when Felipe decided to jump on his back.
“I’m sorry for what happened yesterday from all points of view,” Correa wrote. “First of all for the football fans, to whom we should be a positive example. Surely my friend Luiz made a mistake with the gesture and at the moment, then in the heat of my reaction was bad.
“I wish it had never happened. But now let’s turn the page and let’s all go on. Head to the next match with Inter and the next challenges. I want to make the fans cheer for the good things in football.”
Luiz Felipe’s connection with Joaquín Correa
Though Luiz Felipe is from Brazil and Joaquín Correa is from Argentina, they both became best of friends when they met at Lazio in 2018.
Felipe has been at Lazio since August 30, 2016, after he moved from Brazilian side Ituano football club for €750,000. Correa joined him at Lazio on August 1, 2018, from Sevilla for £15.30 million.
But on August 26, 2021, Correa decided to join Inter Milan on a season-long loan which means that the forward will return to Lazio at the end of this season.
Based on the pictures Luiz Felipe shared to prove his friendship with Correa, the two South American players are not just friends on the pitch but also friends on the street.
He and the Inter Milan forward had attended parties and gone out for dinner together long before their meeting on Sunday. This explains why he had to jump on him after Lazio best Inter Milan 3-1.
