Chile’s Vidal in good shape ahead of Bolivia meet

Chile’s soccer coach Jorge Sampaoli told media in Santiago on Thursday that his star Midfielder Arturo Vidal is in good shape for the side’s Copa America match again Bolivia, just days after he was charged with drunk driving.

Vidal was brought into custody by police for drunk driving after crashing his red Ferrari some 30 km south of Santiago on Tuesday night, following an afternoon off from training that he spent at a casino. He was taken to hospital after the incident with light injuries.

Sampaoli said his midfielder is now back at training.

“Well, he’s training like normal with a desire to play in the upcoming match. He’s in good condition to be of service to the team,” he said.

After the crash, Vidal spent the night in police custody and a judge suspended his driver’s license on Wednesday. The judge opened a 120-day investigation into the accident and will require Vidal to check in with the Chilean consulate in Milan, where he plays for Juventus, while the investigation is ongoing.

Vidal apologised for drunk-driving.

His teammate, Alexis Sanchez, told media Vidal has the side’s full support.

“Everyone on the team supports Vidal, we’re with him. The least that we could do is handle the situation he had due to personal issues not related to soccer. But as a team, we had to handle the situation,” he said.

No political interference

With three goals in the tournament after scoring twice in Chile’s 3-3 draw with Mexico on Monday, Vidal is trying to focus on the competition, according to coach Sampaoli.

“What happened with Vidal was resolved quickly. He made the decision to continue, to focus on the sport as what is the most important. This is what he just said, referring to Bolivia, referring to improving the performance of the team to the level of that of the second half of the Mexico (game), that this style of play that the team has stays intact. What happened on the field is for me is the most important as the coach,” added Sampaoli.

Hosts Chile are top of Group A in the 12-team tournament with four points from two matches, ahead of Bolivia on goal difference. A win at the final group game is crucial for Bolivia to get on top of table.

Political tensions have also entered into the fray ahead of the Bolivia-Chile match. Neighbouring Chile and Bolivia are currently at The Hague regarding the granting of a corridor of sovereign Chilean territory to link landlocked Bolivia to the sea.

But Bolivian coach Mauricio Soria told media his side are only interested in the sport itself.

“We’ve come here to play the game, we’ve come here to give the people a show, which is what people enjoy in a Copa America. The result is a very competitive (tournament), very well played and this is getting results and very good soccer is being played.”

He added: “I think that the politics between our two countries needs to be put aside, we’ve come here to play with humility, peacefully. We’ve developed as much as possible as a team and hopefully tomorrow we can develop so that people at the stadium can enjoy the great show that we can compare to a great side like Chile. That is why we need to stay away from politics.”

Chile and Bolivia will play each other on Friday.