Romeo Lavia: Why Chelsea Star Didn’t Get Medal After Winning Conference League
- Chelsea beat Spanish side Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday, May 28, in Poland
- A masterful performance from Cole Palmer in the second half guided Chelsea to their first silverware in three years
- However, not every Chelsea player got a medal from UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin during the award ceremony
Romeo Lavia was not among the Chelsea players who lined up to receive a medal after they won the Conference League on Wednesday night, May 28.
Source: Getty Images
How Chelsea won the Conference League
Chelsea came from behind to beat Real Betis 4-1 at the Wroclaw Stadium in Poland to become the first club to win all three available European club trophies.
A superb second-half performance after Betis had them on strings in the first half did the damage to ensure they ended the season with silverware, days after securing a return to the Champions League.
Cole Palmer inspired the turnaround, setting up Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson with two assists to set the Blues on their way. Jadon Sancho added a beautiful curler before Moises Caicedo completed the rout with a rasping shot near the edge of the area.
The win sparked wild celebrations as the squad won their first trophy under the new ownership. Captain Reece James is the only surviving player from the team that won the Champions League in 2021.
As the players stepped onto the podium to receive their medals from UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, Lavia was spotted stepping aside and thus wasn't one of the players to receive a medal.
Why Romeo Lavia didn't get Conference League medal
As initially reported by TUKO.co.ke, the Belgian was ineligible to play in the final as he hadn't been registered. Head coach Enzo Maresca had omitted him from the squad last season as he continued to manage his minutes following an injury-ridden spell in West London.
When the squads were updated after the league phase, the former Southampton man was still not included and thus not an officially registered player for the final.
However, it is interesting that the Belgian didn't get one, given that at least three of Tottenham's unregistered players received medals last week after winning the Europa League.
Sergio Reguillon and January signing Antonín Kinský were all on the podium in Bilbao despite not being part of the registered players. The mix-up saw captain Heung-min Son, Christian Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur all miss medals, but this was later addressed as UEFA provided extra medals.
Therefore, it is highly likely that Lavia will eventually be given a medal since the winning clubs are always awarded 50 medals, which they distribute as they see fit.
Source: Getty Images
Enzo Maresca reacts to Conference League win
Head coach Enzo Maresca was beside himself with joy after winning his first trophy as Chelsea's boss.
"Hopefully, it can be a starting point. To build a winning mentality, you need to win games and competitions. For sure, the trophy we won tonight will make us better," he told Chelsea's website.
"But also, I’m very proud of the path, the journey, we have done in the Premier League. That is the most difficult competition in the world; you need to be consistent over 38 games, and these players showed that."
What next for Chelsea?
The Blues will only have 10 days of rest before resuming training and starting preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Chelsea qualified for the competition by winning the 2021 Champions League and will be one of the two English representatives (alongside Manchester City).
They will play Tunisian giants Esperance Tunis, Brazilian side Flamengo, and a yet-to-be-decided club after Leon was disqualified.
The tournament will run from June 15 to July 13 in the United States of America.
Why Chelsea could snub Champions League
In a related report, Chelsea could snub the Champions League and play in the Europa League next season.
The Blues qualified for the Champions League by finishing fourth in the Premier League. They have also qualified for the Europa League by winning the Conference League.
UEFA has a special clause that will allow them to choose which competition they want to play in.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
