Pedro Neto will remember his trip to Paris. But not necessarily for the right reasons. Last night, the Portuguese was present on the pitch at the Parc des Princes for the 1/8 final first leg of the UEFA Champions League. A match lost 5 to 2 by his team. In addition to the result, Neto, despite having put in a good performance, spent a rough quarter of an hour in the Parisian enclosure. While the score was 4 to 2, he was guilty of a gesture of humor (a small stroller), but nevertheless shameful, against a ball boy who was slow to return the ball to him at the end of the match. This angered Parisians and tensions arose between the two groups. But everyone was calmed down by the referee, who did not sanction the Blues player.
A “shameful” gesture of humor
After the final whistle, this episode was widely talked about. Liam Rosenior talked about it. “I didn’t see what happened. I heard there was an altercation with a ball boy, and that’s never a good thing to see. I was told Pedro apologized. I have to watch the scene again and talk about it in the days to come.” Indeed, the Portuguese footballer offered his sincere apologies after seeing red. “I would like to clarify that regarding the incident that occurred on the field, I have already gone to apologize to the ball boy and spoke to him. In the heat of the moment, we were behind and I wanted to recover the ball. He kept it with him, I pushed him slightly out of emotion and I saw that I had hurt him.”
He added: “I’m not like that, so I went there straight away to apologize and I even gave him my jersey, because that kind of thing is unacceptable. I’m really sorry. I just wanted to tell him one more time that I’m really sorry for him. In the heat of the moment, as is often the case in football, we are overwhelmed by our emotions. I wanted to take the ball first, so I pushed him and went to apologize to him immediately, then we talked at the end. He even laughed because I gave him my jersey and said I’m sorry like 30 times, so I’m really sorry for the situation. Vitinha had also told him that I’m not like that and that the only thing that mattered was that I was worried about him. So I’m really sorry for the situation.”
Neto apologized
Except that this incident is causing a lot of talk. In France, Le Figarowho mentioned a “shameful gesture”wrote: “improbable scene on Wednesday, in the last minutes of the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League between PSG and Chelsea (5-2), at the Parc des Princes. In a hurry to put the ball back in play for a throw-in, Pedro Neto pushed past a ball boy. Unbalanced, the young boy fell. Of course, the latter added more, holding his face. The gesture of the 26-year-old Portuguese international striker remains no less deplorable. He almost started a general fight…” In England, the feeling is the same. The Sun has written extensively on the subject.
“Chelsea star Pedro Neto sparks a general brawl by shoving a PSG ball boy, 13 years after the famous Eden Hazard incident at Swansea. Neto was visibly frustrated trying to get the ball back from the player who was on the edge of the pitch and who seemed in no hurry to give it back to him. This is not uncommon in football, but most would agree that Neto’s reaction was excessive. The incident occurred at the start of added time, when the score was 4-2, but things would get worse for Neto and his Blues teammates, with PSG scoring an extra goal. Neto escaped even a yellow card for his foul, but it’s worth noting that he expressed remorse for getting carried away. At the end of the match, he gave his shirt to the ball boy and kissed the young assistant at the edge of the pitch (…) Neto seems to have been luckier (than Hazard, who had been sanctioned), but since he did not even receive a yellow card, UEFA could intervene and take retroactive measures later.
An absence of sanction which causes talk
THE Daily Mail also believes that he is doing very well after his gesture which lacked class. “Pedro Neto escapes expulsion after pushing a PSG ball boy to the ground at the end of Chelsea’s 5-2 defeat in Paris (…) Pedro Neto bizarrely clashed with a ball boy in the final minutes of Chelsea’s defeat to PSG in the Champions League. Neto’s actions were then examined by the VAR, but it decided not to intervene. Which also surprises Bruno Derrien, former international referee, interviewed by The Parisian. “It’s true that the ball boy delays, that he doesn’t give the ball straight away. But hey, he doesn’t really delay the game. The Chelsea player’s gesture is not acceptable, he doesn’t have to push the ball boy like that. He should have at least been warned. This gesture has no reason to be. He apologized straight away, it’s not an attack… a warning would have been logical.”
UEFA could sanction him afterwards. But for Glenn Hoddle, interviewed by TNT Sportshe does not deserve to be punished. “Yes, he pushed it, but he pushed it because the ball boy refused to give him the ball and was about to throw it away. To defend the player, it’s the last minute of the match. He wants to continue playing and the guy tries to take the ball away from him. He just gives her a little nudge. If the ball boy hadn’t done anything, it’s a different story (regarding the lack of sanction, editor’s note).” What is certain is that Pedro Neto’s gesture is widely talked about this Thursday. And not for the better.
