Leandro Paredes found himself in the middle of a controversy in Russia this week over a red card and the Copa Libertadores final.
Last weekend, Paredes earned a red card in a clash between Zenit St. Petersburg and Akhmat Grozny, prompting fans to accuse the midfielder of being intentionally sent off to attend the Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and River Plate on Saturday.
The Argentine was sent off 8 minutes from the end of the match and will be automatically suspended for next Sunday’s match against CSKA Moscow.
He had already scheduled a flight to attend the South American clash after Thursday’s Europa League match against Bordeaux, but ended up changing his schedule after the red card.
Paredes was a member of Boca’s academy from 2002 to 2010 before making 28 appearances for the club before joining Chievo Verona in 2014.
But the midfielder, who played for Roma and Empoli before signing for Zenit in 2017, denied the allegations.
“I went on to arrive in Argentina on Sunday, but as we were playing the Europa League on Thursday in France, they proposed me not to go back to Russia and leave directly from there on Friday,” he told Fox Sports Argentina.
“This is all a lie. Nothing happened here. This is anything that was invented in Argentina.
“They didn’t give me a red card on purpose, I would never do something like that.
“When I heard we were talking about it, I spoke to Zenit’s sporting director and he said they were with me. “
Paredes has played 12 league and Europa League games with the club this season, contributing 3 goals and two assists.
Boca will face River on Sunday in the first match before facing others on November 24 in the second leg.
Visiting fans will be welcome at any of the matches in the final.
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