Barcelona vice-president Carles Vilarrubi has claimed Pepe’s apology for stamping on Lionel Messi was not a genuine one.
The Portugal international issued a statement on Thursday to dismiss the notion that he intended to hurt the Argentine when he stood on his hand during Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Barca in their Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
But Villarrubi was quick to dissect Pepe’s release, and claimed it was not a credible response from the Real Madrid player.
“Pepe tried to make a rectification that does not exist,” Vilarrubi told RAC1.
“He did not say that he made a mistake, only that he did not wish to do it.”
“No-one believes that.”
Vilarrubi added that Madrid are to blame for the situation as he believes that los Blancos are too lenient when handling aggressive incidents, stemming from Real manager Jose Mourinho poking Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye earlier this season.
“The problem is that these people feel protected,” he explained. “After the finger in the eye (of Vilanova), there was a justification from Madrid.”
“This generates a breeding ground for Pepe to lose it and do what he did.”
