Arsenal midfielder defends opponent sent-off for ‘reckless’ lunge which resulted in injury
Arsenal midfielder Lia Walti has said there is “no need for any hate” towards Aggie Beever-Jones after suffering an injury from the on-loan Everton forward’s tackle.
Walti was taken off on a stretcher in Wednesday evening’s Women’s Super League meeting between the two clubs after a bad tackle from Beever-Jones.
The 19-year-old Chelsea loanee was shown the first red card of her career as Everton lost 4-1 to Jonas Eidevall’s side.
The teenager has apologised for what she described as an “unintentionally reckless challenge”.
“I struggle to put into words how upset I am at injuring another player. Most importantly, I meant no harm whatsoever to Lia Walti,” Beever-Jones said, admitting she was “absolutely devastated” to have injured her opponent after being visibly upset after her dismissal.
“I’m just not the type of person that would intentionally hurt another player. I lost control of the ball and was over eager to try and win it back. My lunge resulted in a bad but unintentionally reckless challenge.”
Walti has asked supporters not to criticise the youngster.
“Football is a contact sport, these injuries are unfortunately part of our game,” Walti said on social media in reply to the apology from Beever-Jones. “No need for any hate or bad comments towards Agnes Beever-Jones please.”
The Switzerland international midfielder’s injury continues a difficult season for Arsenal that has seen four players suffer anterior cruciate ligament injuries.
A message from Aggie Beever-Jones. pic.twitter.com/zbrsUSJgrV
— Everton Women (@EvertonWomen) May 17, 2023
The severity of Walti’s issue is not yet known but would appear to put her participation at this year’s World Cup in doubt.
Switzerland begin their tournament against the Philippines in Dunedin on 21 July.
“We can all see it’s a reckless challenge and it hits our player really badly,” Walti’s manager Eidevall told Sky Sports. “Of course we’re really sorry for losing Lia probably for some time.
“I’m also thinking about her as she has the World Cup to play this summer, so there’s a lot of emotions and thoughts.”
