Chelsea winger Pedro Neto will be available for the second leg of their Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain after UEFA opted not to ban him for pushing a ball boy. The incident occurred during Chelsea's 5-2 first-leg defeat at the Parc des Princes last week.
Neto shoved the ball boy to the ground as he tried to retrieve the ball quickly late in the game. The move sparked a confrontation between players, and referee Alejandro Hernandez had to intervene. A VAR check was conducted for a potential red card, but no on-pitch punishment was given.
UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) investigated the matter and could have handed Neto a one-match suspension for unsporting behaviour. However, the Portuguese international escaped with only a warning.
After the match, Neto apologised to the ball boy and gave him his shirt. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: 'I want to come out and apologise for what happened on the pitch. I’ve spoken with the ballboy. With the emotions of the game, we were losing, I wanted to pick up the ball. I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him and I am sorry.'
Neto, who missed Chelsea's weekend Premier League match against Newcastle due to a separate ban, will be eligible for Tuesday's second leg. Chelsea face a difficult task to overturn the three-goal deficit after a 5-2 loss in Paris.
