Atalanta striker German Denis apologised for punching Empoli’s Lorenzo Tonelli. “I lost control. I shocked myself.”
The forward scored a late goal in the 2-2 draw with Empoli last week, but struck Tonelli on the face in the players’ tunnel.
He claimed he had been provoked by ‘death threats’ from Tonelli, something the Empoli man has firmly denied, and Denis was handed a five-match ban.
Atalanta striker German Denis apologised for punching Empoli’s Lorenzo Tonelli. “I lost control. I shocked myself.”
The forward scored a late goal in the 2-2 draw with Empoli last week, but struck Tonelli on the face in the players’ tunnel.
He claimed he had been provoked by ‘death threats’ from Tonelli, something the Empoli man has firmly denied, and Denis was handed a five-match ban.
“I was wrong,” confessed Denis. “There is no justification for what I did. I had a moment of rage and was unable to control myself.
“I am really sorry and already said this to my teammates and the club. Now it is time to apologise publicly.
“In my entire career, I had never reacted this way. I’ve never been sent off for violent conduct, am not an aggressive person and those who know me can testify to that.
“Of course, in important games like the one against Empoli it is normal to have tough clashes with opponents and, at times, to exchange words we shouldn’t repeat in public.
“I was provoked in such a serious manner that it cannot be justified by the aggression of the game. Having said that, I shocked myself with the reaction I had.
“Perhaps all the pressure accumulated over the last few months, the worry about securing safety for Atalanta, the importance of the game and above all the threats I received made me lose control.
“I don’t want to get into the motivations behind my actions, because the truth is there can be no justification for what I did and I’m not looking for it either.
“I know that I made a mistake and therefore accept the ban. I never considered an appeal. I don’t even want to respond to the further insults Tonelli aimed at me through the media.
“I will just say that I am not some madman who goes around punching people. In my whole life, I had never punched anyone.
“Tonelli provoked me very seriously, this is certain, but I was still wrong to react that way.”