Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has sought to clarify a joke he made about “hurting himself”.
Guardiola made the comment following their 3-3 draw with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The 53-year-old was responding to a question from a reporter about some cuts on his face.
“My finger, yeah… my nail. I want to hurt myself,” Guardiola replied, before smiling and exiting the press conference.
Guardiola’s response led to a lot of criticism on social media.
But in a statement posted on his social media on Wednesday morning, Guardiola said he was “caught off guard with a question at the end of a press conference last night.”
The former Bayern Munich boss also said: “My answer was in no way intended to make light of the very serious issue of self-harm.
“I know that many people struggle with mental health issues every day, and I would like to take this moment to highlight one of the ways in people can seek help, by calling the Samaritans hotline on 116 123 or emailing [email protected].”
