Fulham choose not to take part in the penalty shoot-out after Alvaro Arbeloa is shown a red card.
Fulham’s second-to-last pre-season friendly before the new Premier League season had quite a dramatic ending, with their manager getting sent off and the players getting booed by the fans.
They faced newly promoted La Liga team Malaga at the Rosaleda stadium, playing for the Costa del Sol Trophy. The match ended 2-2, with Fulham’s Alex Iwobi and Ryan Sessegnon scoring, while Malaga’s Eneko Jauregi scored a late penalty after a controversial handball call against Calvin Bassey.
Fulham’s new boss Alvaro Arbeloa was very upset and got sent off after arguing with the referee at the end of the game. But the drama didn’t stop there. Usually, when friendlies end in a draw with a trophy on the line, a penalty shootout follows. But Fulham refused to take part, saying it wasn’t part of the agreement. They also needed to catch a flight and didn’t want to risk missing it.
The team quickly left the pitch, and the 17,000 fans there booed loudly. Because of this, Malaga were declared the winners of the 36th edition of the trophy. To keep things lighthearted, Malaga’s players had Jauregi take a penalty into an empty net as his teammates celebrated, then lifted the trophy and posed for photos.
Fulham later shared an official statement on their X account, saying both teams had agreed before the match that there wouldn’t be a penalty shootout. They thanked the fans for their support in Malaga. On the other hand, Malaga’s website told a different story, saying a shootout was planned but Fulham left, so Malaga were crowned champions.
Looking ahead, Fulham will play a friendly against Bundesliga side VFB Stuttgart at Craven Cottage on Saturday. Then, they kick off the Premier League season with a derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday, August 24.
It’s been a busy summer for Fulham with manager Marco Silva leaving, as well as players like Harry Wilson, Issa Diop, and Sasa Lukic. New boss Arbeloa has signed some exciting young players from Real Madrid, including striker Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios. They also signed Shea Charles from Southampton for £30 million, making him the most expensive Northern Irish player ever with a five-year contract.