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Vata faces Marseille again, 34 years on: "I know what I did"
"I've never been angry with Vata!", said Di Meco, who was also interviewed on the same occasion.
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Desporto Benfica
Ahead of the reunion between Benfica and Marseille this Thursday in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, the French newspaper RMC Sport decided to mark the occasion. This Monday, former Benfica player Vata was Jeremy Rothen's special guest. The Frenchman also spoke to Eric Di Meco, another player involved in the famous 'Vata's hand' incident in the 1990 European Cup semi-final.
From the outset, Vata was categorical. He does not admit to having handled the ball. "No. He (Di Meco) was leaning on me. When the ball came, I didn't have time to think. Di Meco was on top of me. I learned in school that there is hand, shoulder and chest. Not marking with the hand. If it had been with my hand, the ball could not have had that speed. If it had been with my hand, why lie?", he asked.
Di Meco, however, had a different view. "That hand went down in football history. For us, it's like Maradona's hand. It was traumatic. The Champions League is so difficult to win that you have to suffer to win it. In reality, few of us saw it. Vata is also an Angolan international handball player! I don't mind saying that I made a marking error. I blame myself. I hold him and I play the ball badly. But the images are terrible! I am convinced that in our subconscious, when we do that, we don't want to admit it to ourselves," he analysed.
Vata, who received "many threats" at the time, insists that his "conscience is clear". "My father used to tell me: 'You can lie to everyone, but you can't lie to your conscience'. I have always tried to keep my conscience clear. I am at peace with my conscience. I know what I did," he told RMC with all honesty.
"I was never angry with Vata!", smiled Di Meco, who was given a nice tribute by Vata to conclude this exceptional interview: “Eric, you are a good man, a good player whom I admire very much. It's a great pleasure. It's the first time I've spoken to you. I still consider you one of the best defenders".
Read Also: Benfica's demands for António Silva and João Neves 'frighten' United (Portuguese version)
Read Also: Di María, from the derby to "criminal law": "Punching someone may not be punished"
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