"I'm ashamed and embarrassed." Pep Guardiola (54), manager of Manchester City, publicly apologized for the 'cameraman clash' incident that occurred after the loss to Newcastle.
The British outlet 'SportsBible' reported on the 25th (KST) that Guardiola spoke directly about the scene in which he argued with a Sky Sports cameraman immediately after the Newcastle match during a news conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Leverkusen.
Man City lost 1-2 to Newcastle at St. James' Park last weekend. A win would have cut the gap to league leader Arsenal to one point, but the defeat instead widened the gap to seven points and allowed Chelsea to overtake them, dropping them to third. They suffered a painful result after conceding a brace to Newcastle's Harvey Barnes.
Immediately after the final whistle, Guardiola showed agitation as he protested to the match officials and Newcastle captain Bruno Guimarães. He then approached a broadcast cameraman, lifted the headphones and spoke a few words, and that scene was captured on TV camera, intensifying the controversy. What was said has not been revealed.
At the news conference, Guardiola admitted frankly, "I apologized. Looking at that scene, I'm ashamed and embarrassed. Even to me it doesn't look good."
He said, "I apologized to the cameraman immediately after the situation ended. I'm not a perfect person. I've played 1,000 matches but I still make big mistakes."
He was clear about why he showed emotion at that moment. He said, "I do that to protect the team and the club. I know better than anyone that to win the Premier League you need 100 points, 98 points. Otherwise you can't win. So I always protect my team."
Guardiola admitted the mistake, but he did not regret the 'instinct to protect' contained within it.
City shaken by the defeat to Newcastle, and the manager who could not hide his emotions. Attention is focused on what reaction his 'shame' will produce in the next match.
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