Spanish radio journalist Inigo Taberna has criticised Real Sociedad midfielder Arsen Zakharyan after reports that the Russian left the team’s dressing room before the final whistle during the side’s match against Espanyol.
In an exclusive interview with the online publication Euro-Futbol.Ru, the Onda Cero journalist gave his view on the incident involving Zakharyan and Real Sociedad manager.
“A professional cannot behave like that,” Taberna said.
Spanish media had previously reported that Zakharyan became angry during the match after learning that Real Sociedad’s final substitution was not intended for him. According to those reports, the midfielder then argued with the head coach before leaving the field and going to the dressing room while the match was still being played.
The reported incident has placed the focus on the conduct of the Real Sociedad player rather than on the events of the match itself. Taberna’s comments were made in an exclusive interview, in which he assessed Zakharyan’s actions and questioned whether such behaviour was acceptable from a professional footballer.
The account centres on the final substitution of the game. Zakharyan reportedly discovered that the change would involve another player, rather than himself. A disagreement with the manager followed, and the midfielder was then said to have left the dressing room before the referee had brought the contest to an end.
No further details about the exchange between Zakharyan and the manager were provided in the source report. The media reports cited also did not include a full explanation of what was said during the disagreement or what happened after Zakharyan went to the dressing room.
Zakharyan plays for Real Sociedad and is identified in the report as a Russian midfielder. The comments from Taberna, a journalist with Spanish radio station Onda Cero, were delivered in response to the reported events against Espanyol.
The story therefore rests on reports that Zakharyan reacted angrily to the decision over the final substitution and left before full-time, together with Taberna’s criticism of that reaction. His assessment was expressed in direct terms, with the journalist saying that a professional player should not conduct himself in that manner.
The incident involving Real Sociedad’s midfielder was reported before Taberna spoke to Euro-Futbol.Ru. The interview provides the journalist’s view of the episode, while the available account does not set out any additional statement from Zakharyan or further comment from the club.
