Agustín Álvarez Martínez apologizes for red card at Talleres, upset over missing derby against Belgrano

He got sent off, he left the field fuming, and three days later he decided to speak up. Agustín Álvarez Martínez posted a statement on social media apologizing for the red card he saw in Talleres' loss to Instituto, a match the "T" ended up dropping 3 to 1 this Saturday in the Torneo Clausura.

The Uruguayan, known as "el Canario," didn't dodge the issue. This Monday he sat down to write and got straight to the point: "I want to apologize to my teammates, the coaching staff, the club, and all the Talleres fans for my ejection."

Then came the more personal part of the message, where he explained what happened on the field. According to the forward himself, it all started after he took a hit during the match. He reacted badly, he knew it right away, and he didn't look for excuses.

It was a reaction after the hit I took, but I know it wasn't the right way to act, and I take responsibility. It's the first ejection of my career and it really hurts to have left the team a man down in a match as important as this one.Agustín Álvarez Martínez

That detail isn't minor: it's the forward's first career ejection, and maybe that's why the emotional blow weighed so heavily in his words. Apologizing for something that's happened before is one thing, but doing it for the first time, with the fresh feeling of having left your team a man short on a night that was already going poorly, is another.

The absence that hurts most

But the toughest blow for Álvarez wasn't the card itself, it was what comes next: the suspension will keep him out of the derby against Belgrano, set for this Sunday. And there the Uruguayan didn't hide how he feels.

I also want to say that it makes me really sad to know I won't be able to play in the derby. I know what this match means for all of Talleres.Agustín Álvarez Martínez

Anyone who has followed the club closely knows that a derby against Belgrano is no ordinary match on the calendar. Missing it because of his own ejection, and the first of his career at that, is one of those things that hurts more for what it represents than for the football itself.

Even so, the forward closed his statement on a note of self-criticism and commitment, looking more forward than back. "It's time to turn the page, learn from what happened, and put my head down to work twice as hard to be available for the team again. Thanks to everyone for the support," he wrote, closing out a message that combined an apology, self-criticism, and a promise to come back with everything as soon as the suspension is served.