SAN FRANCISCO, November 19, (THEWILL) – Arsenal teammates Brazilian defender David Luiz and Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos were involved in a fight during the team’s training session last week.
The two players were among those who stayed behind while a host of Gunners jetted off to represent their countries on international duty. They continued their regular training sessions and in a training match last Friday, Luiz and Ceballos came to blows.
“David Luiz took exception to a challenge by Dani Ceballos and retaliated by hitting him in the face, a scratch drawing blood”, said David Ornstein of The Atlantic who revealed the details.
“Luiz is said to have struck Ceballos on the nose, sending him to the ground. When Ceballos got up to confront Luiz, team-mates and staff stepped in to diffuse the scuffle.”
The pair of “pugilists” were sent home from training as a result of the fisticuffs, and they were to take the following Saturday, Sunday and Monday off.
Ornstein claims Gunners boss Mikel Arteta then had both of them in front of members of the squad present at their Hertfordshire training base on Tuesday and the pair apologised to each other.
That done, training resumed later in the day and it passed without incident.
Ceballos has been embroiled in a fallout with a team-mate before. On the opening day of the season, the Spaniard, on loan from Real Madrid, clashed with England forward Eddie Nketiah during the warm-up to Arsenal’s game with Fulham.
While the emergence of a fight in training will come as something of an embarrassment, it could be viewed positively by some as it shows they care.
Arteta will hope his charges can show passion and desire when they take on Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday to improve the team’s Premier League standings.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
