Bayern Munich’s Josip Stanisic said it was “stupid” of him to push a ball boy off his stool after he tossed the ball away in stoppage time of their Champions League match against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
A 2-2 draw in the second leg at the San Siro saw hosts Inter advance to the semifinals 4-3 on aggregate.
Bayern had been pushing for a late winner when defender Stanisic tried to get the ball back into play quickly, pushing the ball boy to the ground in frustration when he threw the ball away from him.
The Inter bench leapt to their feet to confront Stanisic, who escaped punishment from the referee.
“Every team in the world tries to run down the clock a little. They did that a bit better than some others,” Stanisic told German media in comments broadcast on Thursday by sports website RAN.
“It was also maybe a bit stupid of me and I’m sorry that I pushed him. In that moment I was just really annoyed that these little games were being played and I found that unnecessary.”
Asked if it would pursue any disciplinary proceedings against Stanisic, UEFA said in a statement: “The official reports from the two matches played last night are currently being reviewed.”
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