It was a nightmare outing for Pedro Neto and Chelsea at the Parc des Princes. On top of a crushing 5–2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the first-leg of the Champions League Round of 16, the Portuguese international now faces a potential suspension after UEFA opened a formal investigation into his conduct late in the match.
The incident occurred in the final minute of stoppage time with Chelsea trailing 4–2. Frustrated by a perceived delay in returning the ball for a throw-in, Neto shoved a ball boy to the ground. The move sparked a brief scuffle between both squads before order was restored.
“Disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Chelsea player Pedro Lomba Neto for unsporting conduct, in accordance with Article 15(1)(a)(v) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations. UEFA‘s disciplinary bodies will make a decision on this case in due course,” the governing body confirmed in an official statement on Thursday.
Chelsea now face a mountain to climb in the second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 17, and they may have to do it without one of their primary attacking threats.
Neto issues post-match apology
Despite the heat of the moment, Neto sought out the youngster after the final whistle to offer a sincere apology and gifted him his match jersey. Speaking to TNT Sports, the winger expressed deep regret for his actions.
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“I want to apologize to the ball boy; I have already spoken with him. With the emotions of the game, we were losing and I wanted to pick up the ball,” Neto said. “He had the ball and I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him in the heat of the moment and I went there to apologize”.
Neto also credited his Portugal teammate and PSG midfielder Vitinha for helping bridge the language gap during the apology. “At the end he laughed, and I gave him my shirt and said sorry about 35 times. My French is not very good, and Vitinha came over to tell him I am not usually like this,” he concluded.
