Mourinho won`t punish Pepe for Messi hand stamp

Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho will not punish Pepe for stomping on the hand of Barcelona`s Lionel Messi, saying that the defender`s apology was sufficient.

The Portuguese manager said Saturday "the player has spoken and that is enough" after including Pepe in his squad for Sunday`s home game against Athletic Bilbao. Real Madrid lost 2-1 Wednesday to Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal. Mourinho said after the game if Pepe had stepped on Messi`s hand intentionally it would be "punishable." The following day Pepe issued a statement on Madrid`s website saying the stomp was "unintentional." Bureau Report