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Richarlison reveals how Antonio Conte punished him for public outburst.
In a meeting at Tottenham, Richarlison claims Antonio Conte yelled at him for over two hours after the Brazilian international had publicly criticized the Italian coach.
The former Everton forward was signed by Spurs for £52 million last summer, but the 26-year-old only made 12 Premier League starts in 2022–23, scoring one goal and dishing out three assists. This was due to fitness difficulties and poor form.
Richarlison voiced his complaints about his lack of playing time and what he dubbed a “s*** season” after Tottenham lost to AC Milan in the Champions League semifinals. In response, Conte called the forward “selfish,” but later supported him in making a comeback in the last weeks of the season.
Richarlison has since asserted that Conte humiliated him in front of the team as retaliation for the incident.
He said on the Que Papinho podcast: “Of course I made a fool of myself by saying in the interview that I needed time and everything else, it was after the elimination in the Champions League, but then I apologised to him.
“I even told him that if he wanted to punish me, he could. We worked it out there, then I tried to have a run again, and another injury came up. Like it or not, it ends up affecting the head as well.
“He has to show his firmness also to the group, to say that he is there, that he is still in charge. It is his way of dealing with people, with the group, and he spent almost two hours just telling me off in the meeting, in front of everyone [laughs].
“Then the players even said: ‘Richi, don’t do this anymore. Stay two hours waiting’ [laughs]. Everyone wanted to go, and we were there. Solved, fine.
“After they sent him away, I sent him a message. I apologised because he was the guy who asked for me to be hired, and I couldn’t help him as much as he thought I could. The least I could do is apologise for what happened there.”
Ange Postecoglou has been appointed as Conte’s replacement at the club as Spurs attempt to improve on their eighth-place league finish from the previous campaign.
Guglielmo Vicario, an Italian goalkeeper, has been signed on a five-year contract, and James Maddison has moved in a £40 million deal from Leicester.