Sampaoli bets that Chile would not qualify to World Cup

CAIRO – 14 October 2017: "Arturo Vidal should go to a medical specialist. He likes to drink and he is not controlled.” The phrase, as told by Jorge Sampaoli, is dated 2015, when he directed the Chilean team and in a conversation that has now come to light discovers and points to several of the players he headed at that time.

The daily Las Ultimas Noticias published details of the talk that Argentina’s coach then maintained with a small group of journalists of Radio Agriculture and that has been confirmed by some of the participants in that conversation, in which he bet that the Chilean team would not qualify for the World Cup.

According to what has now been revealed, Sampaoli already warned in 2015 of the decline of the Chilean national team, with a special accent on Arturo Vidal, whom he pointed out in an obvious way, as Claudio Bravo's wife did now, alluding to his alcoholism.

"I remember when we were on the plane back from Lima," said Sampaoli, referring to Vidal, "who asked me if I could open a bottle of beer I had bought at the airport. I said no, because other people were coming, but with others he got a bottle of whiskey."

The words of the coach, who led the Chilean team to the conquest of the Copa America 2015, do nothing more than confirm the problems that the Bayern’s player often causes by his alcoholism, which has been problematic for the national team.