Espanyol Sporting Director confirms disciplinary action on the way for Martin Braithwaite

Espanyol striker Martin Braithwaite faces sanctions from his own club after leaving pre-season training camp of his own accord.

The Danish striker joined Los Pericos last Monday but left their Marbella camp less than a week into the pre-season. Braithwaite is reportedly refusing to play in Segunda and wants a move, although he is also said to be considering retirement.

However, his contract with Espanyol still has two years left and it’s likely that Los Pericos will demand a transfer fee for him. Sporting director Fran Garagarza told MD that his behavior would not be accepted.

“I had spoken to him and he told me he didn’t want to be here and wanted to find a way out. But the situation is very clear: the player has a contract with Espanyol and Espanyol are backing him because he is a very important player for us. From then on there isn’t much to talk about. He doesn’t want to be here and there’s nothing we can do there. I can’t tie him down but obviously what happened is very serious and the disappointment is great.”

“Espanyol is way above all that, they have an asset called Martin and he failed in etiquette and everything.” Let’s hope he comes back because if not we have to talk about applying the disciplinary system and that’s already underway. Our members are treated with disrespect and we will not allow that. Neither from Martin nor anyone else. Anything that doesn’t align with the club’s values ​​is a big mistake. It’s a serious lack of respect.”

The Catalan daily reports that Braithwaite was spotted eating with his family at Castelldelfells, his home in Barcelona, ​​at the time. Something that caused disbelief among the Espanyol fan base.

“We don’t know where he is or anything. First he has to call us and make an explanation. We wait for him to come and see what he tells us. After he left I called him but he didn’t answer the phone. We spoke to his agent and he informed us that Braithwaite has decided to leave camp and there is not much more he can tell us.”

“His approach is he doesn’t want to play in the second division and we want him to play because he has a contract. There is currently no opportunity for negotiations. The problem is not with the club because the club has the player and he has a contract. If he makes an offer, it will be considered and the club will respond. When it arrives, it’s analyzed, but it hasn’t arrived.”

It appears that Braithwaite has gone his own way, but to what end is not yet clear. Should he actually consider retiring, the consequences may not bother him as much, but either way the Danish striker is likely to face the wrath of both Espanyol fans and the club itself.