The closing moments of the match between PSG and Chelsea were overshadowed by an awkward scene during stoppage time. Chelsea winger Pedro Neto angrily confronted a ball boy.
As the Blues were still trying to equalize, Pedro Neto became frustrated when a ball boy delayed returning the ball to him. The Portuguese player pushed the youngster, briefly sparking tension between players on the pitch. The referee ultimately decided not to punish Neto, who immediately apologized and later gave his jersey to the young boy after the match.
Former referee criticizes Neto’s behavior
Former international referee Bruno Derrien told Le Parisien that the gesture remained problematic. “It’s true that the ball boy slows things down… but he doesn’t really delay the game. The Chelsea player’s gesture is not acceptable; he has no right to push the ball boy like that. He should at least have received a warning. This type of behavior has no place on the field,” he explained, while also adding nuance: “He apologized immediately, it’s not an assault… but a warning would have been logical.”
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In the footage, Luis Enrique can clearly be seen asking the ball boy to slow things down with a small hand gesture — discreet but noticeable. The ball boy follows the instruction and seems unsure what to do with the ball, just moments before being pushed by Pedro Neto.
Neto assaulted the ball boy just to concede seconds later 😭pic.twitter.com/aSNEr1K0JM https://t.co/3S2le4q26N
— MessiMania (@M10Update) March 11, 2026
The player apologized as soon as the match ended: “I want to apologize for the incident with the ball boy on the pitch. I’ve already spoken to him. It was a moment of frustration. We were behind in the score and I wanted to get the ball back quickly. I slightly pushed him, which is unacceptable,” the Portuguese winger admitted to TNT Sports after the match. “I gave him my jersey and I’m truly sorry. At the time I just wanted to retrieve the ball quickly. I apologized about 35 times,” he said.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior also apologized: “Honestly, I didn’t see what happened with the ball boy. I apologize on behalf of the club. It’s up to me to find answers regarding discipline.”
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