Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has stated that forward Raheem Sterling will not have to make the kind of significant sacrifice in life that his father did. He said this in response to rumors that Sterling and Alexis Disasi were training separately after the decision was made not to include them in the team. He spoke about this when journalists asked whether Chelsea had provided an appropriate environment for the players to practice, as the Professional Footballers’ Association began to advocate for the players’ rights.
“Certainly, (having to practice separately from the team) won’t be easy for a player. This had to be done this way for various reasons. But I’m sure the club has provided them with the best resources and environment to practice,” the coach said. However, when asked if this would be psychologically difficult for the players, the coach gave an example from his father’s life.
“My father is 75 years old. He was a fisherman for 50 years. He would start work at 2 AM and continue until 10 AM the next morning, every day. This is a difficult life. (Players like) Sterling are not doing something difficult,” the coach said. FIFA, the world football association, has also strictly informed all parties that if a player has a contract, even if they are not included in the team, all their rights must be fulfilled. Maresca said that Chelsea is not mistreating any player and that the issues between the players and Chelsea are not yet fully resolved.
“An appropriate solution hasn’t been found for both parties. But we have arranged everything the players need. However, someone who is not in the squad is not in the squad. That won’t change,” the coach said. Chelsea wants Sterling to go to another club. German club Bayer Leverkusen and Italian clubs Juventus and Napoli also tried to take him on loan. However, he didn’t go to any of these clubs because he wanted to stay in London, close to his family.
