Augsburg manager Heiko Herrlich has admitted that he was 'stupid' and 'naive' to break quarantine to go to the supermarket, which saw him banned from taking his first game in charge as the club's boss.
The 48-year-old left the Bundesliga outfit's training camp to go buy toothpaste and skin cream just days before Augsburg were to host Wolfsburg as a part of the Bundesliga's return following a two-month hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Now, following his team's 2-1 defeat, which saw Wolfsburg's Daniel Ginczek score a stoppage-time winner, Herrlich has admitted he acted 'thoughtlessly' in the build-up to the game.
'I was naive, stupid or goofy, whatever you want to call it. At no time did I violate any official hygiene measures,' Herrlich told Bild.
'I know that I made a mistake. That's why I took the consequences on my own. It was doubly stupid on my part. That I was shopping during the quarantine - and told it freely in the press conference.
'I am glad and grateful that my 17 colleagues did not act so thoughtlessly. Otherwise the restart of the league would not have been possible in this form.'
Herrlich also understood the public's reaction towards his actions but insists that he is only human.
'I have a high tolerance for frustration,' he added. 'There was rightly criticism. I can also stand the mockery and ridicule. I myself would probably have smiled at myself too. But I am also certain that this will not have been the last mistake in my life.'
Herrlich only joined Augsburg as boss in March following Martin Schmidt's departure and just before football matches were postponed due to the pandemic.
The post is Herrlich's fifth in German club football and he signed a deal through until June 2022 upon his arrival at the WWK Arena.