MILAN (AP) — Bayern Munich defender Josip Stanisic has apologized for pushing a ball kid during the Champions League quarterfinal loss at Inter Milan.
Stanisic pushed the ball kid off his stool after the boy appeared to throw the ball away to delay Stanisic taking a throw-in during added time. Bayern was seeking another goal to force extra time and went on to lose 4-3 on aggregate Wednesday.
“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.”
Inter's coaching staff spotted the incident immediately and appealed to the referee. Stanisic was not booked.
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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The Associated Press