Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, admitted he felt “embarrassed and ashamed” after an incident involving a cameraman following his team’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.
The Spanish coach lost his composure after the final whistle at St James’ Park, amid discussions with Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and match officials.
Guardiola was frustrated by the decision that led to Newcastle’s winning goal in the 70th minute, as City felt goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had been fouled.
Addressing the incident on Monday during a press conference ahead of City’s Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, Guardiola confirmed he had apologised.
“I feel embarrassed and ashamed when I see it,” he said. “I don’t like it. I apologised to the cameraman after one second.
“I am who I am. Even after 1,000 games I’m not a perfect person. I made a huge mistake…. The reason why is I want to defend my team and my club.”
City’s loss to Newcastle marked their fourth in the Premier League this season, leaving them in third place, seven points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Despite the setback, Guardiola insisted the defeat was “immediately forgotten” as he focused on Europe.
City currently sit fourth in their 36-team Champions League group, following a strong start to their campaign.
The manager also confirmed that midfielders Rodri and Mateo Kovacic will miss Tuesday’s match against Leverkusen.
On Rodri’s return, Guardiola said there was no exact timeframe but expected it would be “not long” before he was back in action.
