Fulham's friendly farce: Arbeloa sent off, shootout snubbed

A pre-season friendly turned sour as Fulham refused a penalty shootout and their new boss saw red.

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What happened. Fulham drew 2-2 with Malaga but refused to take part in the agreed-upon penalty shootout, prompting boos and a Malaga player scoring into an empty net. Manager Alvaro Arbeloa was sent off after full-time for confronting the referee.

• Fulham said both teams agreed no shootout before the match.
• beIN Sports reported travel plans influenced the decision.
• Marca called it 'deplorable' and 'unprecedented' disrespect.

“This was a deplorable act of disrespect and an unprecedented lack of respect in the history of the Malaga friendly.”

— Marca

The incident may strain relations between the clubs and draw scrutiny of Arbeloa's conduct early in his tenure.

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