EDINSON CAVANI has said that Unai Emery was to blame for the infamous penalty bust-up he had with Neymar while he was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Uruguay striker had reportedly suffered a fractious relationship with the Brazilian superstar when he moved to the Ligue 1 giants for a record £196million deal in 2017.
Their rivalry came to a head on the pitch when the pair squabbled on the pitch mid-match over who would take a penalty in the 2-0 win over Lyon.
Cavani, who was the club’s official taker, went on to miss the spot-kick and later admitted the row drove a wedge between himself and the ex-Barcelona forward.
Neymar went on to apologise to the former Napoli star after teammates got involved, but the 32-year-old revealed he feels the-now Arsenal boss was responsible.
He told ESPN: “[Unai] Emery was to blame for that moment, without criticising anyone, it’s something that should be made clear.
Emery was to blame for that moment, without criticising anyone, it’s something that should be made clear
Edinson Cavani
“When it happened I told Neymar ‘I’m the one who takes penalties’ and then there was an exchange of words.
“Then, in the dressing room, I told him what I thought.
“After that, Emery said that Ney was going to take penalties and I asked him why. I said that a year ago we had agreed it like that with him, and he told me I was going against him.
“In the end, I said ‘Don’t worry, let Neymar take them’.”
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The recent account is a stark contrast to Emery’s own version of events, who had told fans he ignored requests to step in and sort out the situation.
Speaking in 2017, he said: “I have told them to sort it out between themselves.”
Emery only remained in charge at the Parc des Princes for the rest of that season, before he announced his exit and he went on to join the Gunners a month later.