Chelsea winger Pedro Neto said he has apologised after shoving a ball boy in his team's 5-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 tie.
Neto sparked criticism and angry reactions from the PSG players after he sent the ball boy tumbling down towards the advertising boards. The ball went out of play in the last minutes of the game, and Neto tried to get the ball in quickly.
The ball boy had already picked the ball and was waiting for the player to come and receive it. Instead, the Portuguese went physical on the lad.
Speaking post-match, Neto admitted his mistakes and said he was 'really sorry'.
"I want to come out and say the situation that happened on the pitch, I want to apologise to the ball boy," he told TNT Sports. "I already spoke with him, the emotions of the game with us losing, I want to pick up the ball, and I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him and straight away I apologised, I am not like this. I gave him my shirt because that cannot happen, so I am really, really sorry."
Neto also gave the ball boy his jersey and claimed the latter told him sorry 35 times.
"I gave him my shirt as well," Neto said. "He was happy that I gave him the shirt and said sorry like, 35 times."
"I apologise on behalf of the club" - Chelsea boss Liam Rosenoir on Neto shoving ball boy in PSG loss
Liam Rosenior took responsibility for Neto's unsportsmanlike conduct in Paris and apologised on behalf of the club. He said the winger had apologised in his post-match interview and stressed the importance of managing moments better.
"I saw there was an altercation," Rosenior said. "I haven't seen [the incident]. If there is wrongdoing on our part, I apologise on behalf of the club [and] Pedro has done so in interviews. It's on me," he said. "We have to manage the moments better."
On the results, the Chelsea head coach added:
"Very disappointing result on an evening where for much of the game i was really happy with our performance, but the last 15-20 minutes were crazy. That's on me. We have to deal with setbacks and stay calm in the moment, and we didn't. It is a painful scoreline."
The result has put Chelsea on the brink of elimination, and it marked the first time they conceded five goals in a UEFA Champions League game since a 5-1 defeat to Barcelona in April 2000. Next up for Chelsea is a Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Saturday, March 14.