12 March,2010 07:50 AM IST | | Agencies
Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas apologised yesterday for his side's elimination from the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the sixth consecutive season and said the players are to blame.
"I want to apologise to the fans, but I also want them to know we will never give up. We are excited about winning the league for us and for them," he told a news conference one day after French side Lyon dumped the big-spenders out of the tournament 2-1 on aggregate.
The loss has led to renewed calls from fans for Real coach Manuel Pellegrini, who joined the club from Villarreal in June 2009, to be fired but Casillas said the Chilean manager had the support "of all the players."
"It's easy to make him the target, but we are the ones to blame," he said.
