London: World's most expensive goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been fined a week's wage and apologised for turning down to be substituted by manager Maurizio Sarri during Chelsea's Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City on Monday here at Wembley.
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"Although there was a misunderstanding, on reflection, I made a big mistake with how I handled the situation," Kepa said in a Chelsea statement.
Later, Sarri admitted that he and Kepa had "a good conversation".
During the match, Sarri was visibly unhappy with Kepa's on-field attitude and was seen walking down the tunnel before quickly returning. However, he said the incident had been "a misunderstanding".
"Kepa realises he made a big mistake in the way he reacted," he added.
"He has apologised to me, his team-mates and the club. It is up to the club if they want to discipline him according to the club rules, but for me this matter is now closed," Sarri said.
"The team performance as a whole was extremely positive and it is a shame to see how this incident has overshadowed our efforts in what was a very competitive cup final, he was quoted as saying.
Kepa, the Stamford Bridge based club's record $80.67m signing, denied Sarri's multiple attempts to substitute him for Caballero before Manchester City won on penalties.
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The 24-year-old former Athletic Bilbao player said, "I wanted to take the time today to apologise fully and in person to the coach, to Willy, my team-mates and to the club."
"I have done this and now I want to offer the same apology to the fans. I will learn from this episode and will accept any punishment or discipline the club decides is appropriate," Kepa added.
Kepa's fine will be donated to the Chelsea Foundation.
