PARIS (AP) — Chelsea's Pedro Neto apologized for shoving a ball boy late in his team's 5-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match on Wednesday.
The ball had just gone out of play down the right in stoppage time when the Portugal winger tried to get it quickly and shoved the ball boy in the chest as he appeared to be trying to hold onto the ball.
The ball boy tumbled backward into an advertising board.
“I want to come out and apologize for what happened on the pitch,” Neto told TNT Sports after the game. “I’ve spoken with the ball boy. With the emotions of the game, we were losing, I wanted to pick up the ball. I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him and I am sorry, as I’m not like this.”
The boy got back up and appeared unharmed. He was comforted by some PSG players as others indulged in some pushing and shoving, while other PSG players scolded Neto.
Neto said he gave the boy his No. 7 jersey.
“I gave him my shirt as well,” Neto said. “He was happy that I gave him the shirt and said sorry like, 35 times.”
Neto was not punished by the referee over the incident.
“I saw there was an altercation,” Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said. “I haven’t seen (the incident). If there is wrongdoing on our part, I apologize on behalf of the club (and) Pedro has done so in interviews.”
Rosenior said he should have helped his players focus better after the incident, which was followed moments later by PSG's fifth goal.
“It's on me,” he said. "We have to manage the moments better."
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
“Powerful, moving, and exhilarating” Read moreSongs For A New World
All are invited to attend this silent, unprogrammed meeting where we listen for the spirit o… Read moreSan Mateo Quakers
Join us for this fun community gathering. There will be a resource fair, music and a raffle.… Read moreBelmont Senior Showcase
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
CA Is Burning said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
LittleFoot said:
My best friend growing up was from Iran. Any questions?
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.