Jordi Mestre: I did not mean to say Neymar provokes defenders

Jordi Metre has tried to play down his comments about Neymar being a provocative player.

The Barcelona vice-president had said “Neymar, many times, provokes defenders and other rival players and that’s why he gets fouled a lot.”

But, realising his mistake, he came out again to clarify his comments. 

“They told me that I used the word provoke,” he said. “That has created controversy. What I wanted to say is that Neymar, what he does is take on defences. I was talking footballistically so anyone who wants to look for controversy, I can assure them that there wasn’t any.

“In no moment did I want to say provoked. We are delighted with him, he’s a great player, he plays well, not just in attack but in defence. He’s a player that runs a lot.”