Cañizares: Ayala was wrong, but he has apologized

Cañizares commented on Ayala's aggression towards Olmo during the show and mentioned the phrase "Argentine punch."

According to Marca, Cañizares commented on COPE radio's "Partidazo de COPE" show about former teammate Ayala's apology after the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. In that match, Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the championship, and Ayala committed an aggressive act against Spanish player Olmo after the game.

Ayala explained: "It's a regrettable incident, and I have to accept what I did on the field. After the game, I saw a conflict in midfield, and I went over to prevent things from escalating, because that's not how we should be. I take responsibility for what I did. My intention was to separate the two sides, nothing more. Sometimes things happen when emotions run high... This is not an excuse. No matter what I received, I shouldn't have done that. I went in to separate them. The matter must end here."

He also stated: "If I see Olmo, I will apologize in person. Recently, our national team has felt some animosity. They don't want our national team to do well. We are fighting for our people. In my position, I cannot let emotions control my actions. I regret it."

Cañizares, who played with Ayala at Valencia for seven seasons, said on the show: "He apologized, apologized in his own way. Of course he was wrong, and a person apologizing is clearly because he was wrong. But I will not defend Ayala on whether he made a mistake. He was indeed wrong, and a person asks for forgiveness because he was wrong. But since he has apologized, I think we have an obligation to forgive him, especially someone who has always been very professional throughout his career, from the bench, to management, to the field."

Spanish boxing expert Jaime Ugarte disagreed with Ayala's statement that "it was more of a push than a punch." He said: "He threw a punch, fortunately it didn't land squarely... He did throw a punch, but it just didn't land squarely in the end, it stopped."

Cañizares added: "He threw an Argentine punch, straight and true, the kind that's well-known on the football field, isn't it?"

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