Neymar Apologized for Lashing Out at Fan After French Cup Final Defeat

Neymar has admitted that he "reacted badly" when he appeared to hit a soccer fan on video shortly after Paris Saint-Germain suffered a shock loss in the French Cup final.

The incident occurred in the crowd, when Neymar was collecting his loser's medal after Rennes beat PSG in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw on Saturday.

The fan seemingly said something to Neymar, who stopped as if he was expecting to take a selfie with the fan. But rather than pose for a photograph, the forward was seen thrusting his right hand at the fan.

The Guardian published two camera angles of the incident.

Watch the incident here:

Agence France-Presse reports that the fan, identified as a 28-year-old delivery driver called Edouard, had taunted many PSG players according to Alex Bernardo, a friend of Neymar's.

Bernardo said Edouard called the PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon "dirty," the midfielder Marco Verratti "racist," and said Neymar needed to "go and learn to play football" even though the forward scored one goal and created another in the match itself. The soccer data website Whoscored.com gave Neymar a perfect score of 10/10 for his performance in the cup final, rendering Edouard's apparent criticism questionable.

Regardless, Neymar has recognized that his behavior was poor. "Did I act badly?" Neymar asked in an Instagram comment, as reported by AFP. "Yes. But no one can stay indifferent."

Edouard, meanwhile, said the punch left him with a bloody nose and a cut lip but maintains he "did not insult" Neymar. "I told him that they had been useless," he said.

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