Watch as Sunderland international sent off in ugly touchline brawl during friendly
Sunderland defender Omar Alderete was dismissed without even kicking a ball over the weekend
There will have been a fair few Sunderland fans keeping half an eye on the Paraguayan national team this weekend. Unusual? Perhaps, but also completely justified when you consider Omar Alderete’s recent fitness issues.
The centre-back did not feature in any of the Black Cats’ last three outings heading into the international break having sustained a concussion against Wolves last month, and there had been doubts over whether he would even travel with Gustavo Alfaro’s squad for a double header of friendlies against the USA and Mexico.
But travel he did, and on Saturday, Paraguay boss Alfaro provided an insight into his plan for Alderete amid his ongoing recovery. As quoted by journalist Bruno Pont, the head coach said: "Sunderland requested that Omar not play more than 30 minutes in the first match and 60 in the second".
But rather than coming on from the bench against the USA on Saturday evening, as one might have expected, Alderete was instead involved in a touchline fracas that led to his dismissal - despite him failing to kick a ball.
With Paraguay trailing 2-1 heading into stoppage time at the end of the contest, captain Gustavo Gomez became embroiled in a tussle with USMNT substitute Alex Freeman after both players felt that they had won a throw-in. The relatively minor incident quickly descended into a full-on brawl, however, with both dugouts and several players piling into the fray. And one of the first men on the scene was Sunderland defender Alderete, who wasted little time in flinging himself into the heart of the melee.
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The 28-year-old was swiftly shown a red card for his role in the ugly scenes, ruling him out of this week’s upcoming clash against Mexico - meaning that he will now be afforded an extra few days rest rather than an opportunity to register valuable minutes before Sunderland’s trip to Fulham this weekend. You can watch the full incident, and Alderete’s involvement in it, below...
What has Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris said about Omar Alderete’s recovery from concussion?
For his part, Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris had suggested prior to the international break that he expected Alderete to be ready to play some part for Paraguay this fortnight.
In a press conference before the Black Cats’ 2-2 draw with Arsenal, the Frenchman said: “Yeah, he [Alderete] had to step back because of a residual symptom. So it's not really serious, but the concussion protocol is really strict and we followed it. So he won't be available this weekend. Probably he will be able to get some minutes with his national team progressively and get ready for Fulham. I think he's in a good place and to get fit again, it will be necessary to play. So I think it will be nice for him and for us [if he gets some minutes for Paraguay].”
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