Heinze places collective blame on Real Madrid's European exit

Heinze places collective blame on Real Madrid's European exit

MADRID, March 11 -- Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze said on Wednesday that he and his teammates all shared the blame for their side's humiliating exit from the Champions League.

Real Madrid were beaten 0-4 by Liverpool in Anfield on Tuesday night, crashing out of the Champions League by a 0-5 aggregate.


Real Madrid's Gabriel Heinze (R) fights for the ball with Deportivo Coruna's Angel Lafita during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid Jan. 25, 2009.

It is the fifth consecutive year that Real Madrid has not qualified for the quarter-finals of Europe's most important competition and the team's performance has brought a rain of criticism on both club President Vicente Boluda and the players.

"This is football. Nobody escapes here," said Heinze, who thought the blame should be shared equally.

"There are no heroes or villains, because we are all knocked out. We are a group of people and I cannot accept the use of the word 'villain.' We lost and all of us lost. When we win, we all win," he said on the club's official website.

Real Madrid were knocked out of the King's Cup by third tier side Real Union and their European exit means the club now has to focus all of its energy on winning the Primera Liga.


Real Madrid's Gabriel Heinze (L) tackles Atletico Madrid's Kun Aguero during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid March 7, 2009.

Heinze's side is currently six points behind FC Barcelona in the race for domestic honors, but Heinze sees nothing positive in being able to focus all of the players' attention on one single competition.

"There is nothing good about that. We are doing it because there is nothing else to do. Now all we can do is focus on the league and try to win," he said.
(Xinhua)