SINGAPORE — Chelsea coach Antonio Conte has said Kenedy is sorry for posting disrespectful social media posts during the club’s visit to China but declined to discuss striker Diego Costa’s future.
Brazil under-20 international Kenedy was booed during Chelsea’s 3-0 victoryover Arsenal in Beijing on Saturday after posting the messages on his Instagram account.
In response, Chelsea issued a bilingual statement on their official website on Sunday, entitled “Chelsea Football Club apology to Chinese people for player’s offensive social media posts,” saying the 21-year-old winger had been “strongly reprimanded and disciplined.”
Speaking ahead of the Blues’ match against Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup in Singapore on Tuesday, Conte said: “Kenedy understood that he made a mistake and he is sorry about this.”
Conte was also asked about Costa, whose future is in doubt amid reports that he will return to former club Atletico Madrid.
But the coach instead chose to focus on new signing Alvaro Morata, who is likely to play a part against Bayern.
“Morata is a young player but has a lot of experience in his career as he has already played for two big teams in Real Madrid and Juventus,” he said.
“You cannot compare the Premier League with the leagues of the other countries because, for me, this league is very tough.
“But physically, Morata is very strong and I think he is ready to make a good impact.”
He said Chelsea’s long-haul preseason tour was “normal” in modern football, adding: “It’s a bit tough, but it’s great to play here.
“In China, there was a fantastic atmosphere and a lot of fans with our shirts. You stay in another country so far from London and to see this passion is great. I hope to see the same in Singapore.”
Meanwhile, defender Cesar Azpilicueta said he believed there would be no defeat of Chelsea’s disastrous defence of their 2014-15 Premier League title.
He added: “After being champions two years ago, we had a terrible season. We have to learn from this.
“We know that as champions of the Premier League, every team we face will want to win more than before. We know it’s going to be harder, but that’s what we are working towards.”