Chelsea's Pedro Neto knocks over a ball boy at the Parc des Princes in Paris last night. Photo: Reuters/Peter Cziborra
Chelsea's Pedro Neto knocks over a ball boy at the Parc des Princes in Paris last night. Photo: Reuters/Peter Cziborra
Chelsea's Pedro Neto after pushing the Paris Saint-Germain's ball boy.
Chelsea's Pedro Neto after pushing the Paris Saint-Germain's ball boy.
Chelsea's Pedro Neto apologies to the Paris Saint-Germain's ball boy and gives him his jersey.
Chelsea's Pedro Neto apologies to the Paris Saint-Germain's ball boy and gives him his jersey.
Ben Rumsby
©Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd
Today at 09:14
Pedro Neto escaped punishment for shoving a ball boy and sparking a melee in Chelsea’s 5-2 defeat by Paris St-Germain in their Champions League last-16 first-leg meeting on Wednesday night.
In echoes of a similar incident in 2013 when Eden Hazard was sent off for the club, Neto was guilty of a moment of madness at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night.
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Chelsea were losing 4-2 in stoppage-time when the ball went out of play for a throw-in. Neto went to grab another ball being held by a ball boy, who refused to hand it over immediately, prompting the forward to push him into an advertising hoarding.
A confrontation ensued that was broken up by the officials while the ball boy was attended to by medical staff.
Neto escaped punishment as referee Alejandro Hernández opted to take no action against him for an incident that was also checked by the video assistant referee.
Neto revealed afterwards that he had spoken to the ball boy to apologise and had given the youngster his match shirt.
He told TNT Sports: “With the emotions of the game, we were losing, I wanted to pick up the ball. He was carrying the ball with him. I gave him a little push and I saw that I hurt him.
Chelsea's Pedro Neto apologies to the Paris Saint-Germain's ball boy and gives him his jersey.
Chelsea's Pedro Neto apologies to the Paris Saint-Germain's ball boy and gives him his jersey.
“Straight away, because I’m not like this, in the heat of the moment, I went there to apologise. I gave him my shirt as well because that cannot happen. So, I’m really, really, really sorry about that.”
The incident occurred less than a week after Neto was charged by the Football Association for his reaction to being sent off in Chelsea’s Premier League defeat at Arsenal earlier this month. The red card was Chelsea’s ninth this season in a campaign plagued by indiscipline.
In 2013, Hazard was sent off for kicking a ball boy in Chelsea’s League Cup semi-final second leg at Swansea City, earning him a three-match ban.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior was asked if Neto’s actions added up to another disciplinary issue for a club who have had nine players sent off this season.
Rosenor added: “I genuinely have not seen it. I’ve been told it was an altercation with a ball boy and younever want to see that. I’ve been told Pedro’s apologised.”