Andres Iniesta's club Vissel Kobe have
banned a player for a month for leaking team news that the former Barcelona and
Spain captain won't be featuring in a game
According to Mail Online, defender
Shunki Takahashi revealed in a text message to a friend that Iniesta would be
unavailable for a game against Urawa Reds last month.
The friend, who was reportedly
planning to watch the match, had messaged Takahashi before kick-off asking
whether the midfielder would play. After being told the news, he then took to twitter
to announce the news on social media allowing local media to pick up the news
of Iniesta's absence.
Takahashi quickly deleted the post,
but the news had already been widely shared online.
Vissel Kobe has now banned Takahashi
for breaching the club's internal code of conduct.
'We sincerely apologise to supporters
and everyone concerned for causing inconvenience and worry,' the Japanese club
said in a statement on its website on Friday.
