Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has claimed he personally apologized to team-mate Diego Costa after he infamously labeled the Spanish striker a “cheat”.
Speaking with reporters after the Blues’ 2-0 victory over Arsenal, the center-back proclaimed that the former Atletico Madrid man “likes to cheat a lot”.
Costa came under heavy criticism for his action in the Stamford Bridge victory over the Gunners for slapping defender Laurent Koscielny and provoking Gabriel Paulista to a sending off.
Mourinho backed his star forward, however, Zouma showed little to no support, but has now back-tracked on his remark in the surprise interview.
“I spoke to him and said, ‘Sorry, mate’ because I didn’t want to say that,” Zouma stated.
“English is not my first language, so I did not mean it. He told me: ‘It’s OK, no problem. I know what you wanted to say’.
“I didn’t remember what I said and I didn’t expect it to come out like it did. It was a mistake and I am really sorry for it. It is my second year in England and my English is not perfect. Everybody can do mistakes. This day, I did.
“I never thought Diego is a cheat. He is a friend. I like this guy. On the pitch he gives everything for the club and the team. I hope he will continue like this. He should not change.
“Diego is a really nice guy. People just don’t see it. He is clever because he likes to put a guy off his game, so he loses control. Diego knows what he has to do.
