Pedro Neto shoved a ball boy in Chelsea's loss to Paris Saint-Germain last week and, although he was quick to apologise, UEFA have ruled on a punishment ahead of the return leg
Pedro Neto will be available for Chelsea when they face PSG in the second-leg of their Champions League clash on Tuesday after dodging a ban for pushing a ball boy.
The Portuguese star found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons during the 5-2 first leg defeat last week, when emotions tipped over in the latter stages of the game in Paris. With Chelsea chasing goals, Neto tried to get the ball back in play quickly, and shoved a ball boy to the ground.
It saw tempers boil over as the PSG players rushed in. UEFA then launched an investigation the matter and the Chelsea winger could have faced a one-match suspension for “unsporting behaviour”. However, has escaped with a warning from the UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB).
Referee Alejandro Hernandez had to step in and diffuse the situation and there was a VAR check for a potential red card but Neto avoided any on-pitch punishment - and he has now dodged one off the pitch as well.
After the match Neto - who sat out of Chelsea's game on the weekend due to a different ban - apologised to the ball boy and gave him his match shirt. He also chose to come out immediately and speak to the media, admitting he was in the wrong.
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He told TNT Sports: “I want to come out and apologise for what happened on the pitch. I’ve spoken with the ballboy. 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; Vitinha told him that I am not like that.
“In the heat of the moment, I’d like to apologise and I gave him my shirt as well. That cannot happen. I’m really, really sorry about that. I have to apologise to him. In the heat of the moment, with all the emotions in football, I wanted to get the ball fast, I gave him a push, and I wanted to say sorry to him. He was happy that I gave him the shirt and said sorry like, 35 times.”
Chelsea face a huge task in overturning their first-leg deficit after conceding late goals to fall to a 5-2 loss at the Parc des Princes. The Blues had twice come from behind and were looking good value for a 2-2 draw as they continued to cause problems for the European champions.
But some individual errors and touches of class have the French side in pole position to advance. Liam Rosenior has not given up hope, but did see his side endure less than ideal preparation when they were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle on Saturday in the Premier League.