Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has apologised for his comments on the Vinícius Júnior racist abuse incident on Tuesday night.
Real Madrid winger Vinícius alleged he was racially abused and reported a member of the Benfica team -- whom the Spanish side later claimed to have been winger Gianluca Prestianni -- to the referee, leading to a 10-minute stoppage in play.
Clattenburg was a pundit on Amazon Prime for the Champions League playoff, but his take on the situation provoked a backlash.
He said on commentary: "The problem in this situation is that Vinícius Júnior has not helped himself. He has made this difficult for the referee.
"He scored a wonderful goal and all he has to do is -- yes celebrate -- but return back. He has made this situation very, very difficult."
Anti-discrimination campaigner Troy Townsend, posting on X, said Clattenburg "should never be involved in commentary again."
Clattenburg, 50, has now admitted his comments were wrong and issued an apology.
- Vinícius Jr. racism allegation prompts UEFA investigation
- Seedorf on Mourinho's Vinícius reaction: Mistake to justify racial abuse
- Vinícius Júnior accuses 'coward' Prestianni of racist abuse
He wrote on X: "Nothing justifies racism in sport or in life. I'm grateful to have a chance to follow-up on last night, I got it wrong, I'm sorry.
"It was live TV, my job is to respond in the moment and the words I used were clumsy and not right. I'm already learning from this and appreciate my colleagues who covered the situation with class throughout."
