Portuguese Pedro Neto, Chelsea player, issued an official apology following the incident that occurred during his team's heavy defeat against Paris Saint-Germain with a score of 5-2 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Neto said in his statements after the match: "I would like to apologize for the situation that happened on the field with the ball boy, I have already spoken to him, it was in the heat of the moment, we were behind in the score and I wanted to grab the ball quickly, so I pushed him a little, which should not happen."

He continued: "I gave him my shirt and I am very sorry for what happened, in the heat of the moment I wanted to get the ball quickly."

He added: "I said sorry to him about 35 times."

Neto pointed out that his action was unintentional and that he learned from the situation, confirming that he regrets any negative impression he caused towards the ball boy or the fans.