Corinthians technical director Antonio Carlos Wednesday decided to resign from his post to apologize for breaking the team's rules.

The announcement comes just days after Ronaldo and Carlos arrived six hours after the team's curfew while on the road in the city of Presidente Prudente before playing Marilia. Carlos claimed responsibility for the outing.

After meeting with Corinthians president Andres Sanchez, the technical director decided to step down.

Carlos did not attempt to justify his actions or deny any wrongdoing. He simply took the fall.

However, he would not have been in this tough situation if Ronaldo would have returned earlier in the night.

The team's curfew was set for 11:00pm, but Ronaldo and Carlos arrived at the hotel at 5:30 in the morning.

"I want to thank President Andres Sanchez, who has been a friend of mine since childhood, for the chance to work with Corinthians," said Carlos, who has been in charge for 15 months. "Last year, the team was in a tough situation having fallen to the second division, but we all worked hard and look where the team is now. We are back to being one of the top four teams in Brazil. I like to think that I had something to do with that. Just based on friendships, I brought to Corinthians a handful of player."

"The mishap in Presidente Prudente is just one of the reasons in which I have decided to resign. There are a couple of projects that are planned for next year that I don't particularly like," he said.

Carlos felt the pressure of other members of the coaching staff to resign as well.

Ronaldo arrived at Corinthians in December of 2008. Since then, the crew has been working diligently in order to get him back on the field as soon as possible. Thus, when Carlos took Ronaldo out for a night on the town, it is easy to see how the coaching staff would be irritated with him.

Source: Xinhua