Celtic defender, Mikael Lustig, was the subject of criticism from both Aberdeen manager, Derek McInnes, and captain, Graeme Shinnie, following Sunday's League Cup final.
A Ryan Christie goal just before half-time was the difference between the two sides as Celtic won 1-0.
McInness and Shinnie both accused Lustig of goading Aberdeen 19-year-old, Lewis Ferguson, as the final whistle of the game approached. Shinnie suggested that Celtic 'lacked class' as a result.
Lustig has since defended his behaviour, saying that it was aimed solely at McInnes and not Ferguson.
"I went to Ryan because he had scored a really good goal," Lustig is quoted as saying by the Daily Record.
Their players thought I went to the young boy and maybe that is where the misunderstanding was. And then there were still a few seconds to go.
They said I went for the 19-year-old boy, but I was screaming at McInnes because we had a little bit of banter at a throw-in.
It was banter and it was aimed at their manager.
We play football and there are a lot of emotions. Sometimes you maybe are not happy about things after but, as I said, it is all down to emotions and I’m not going to run out there just to be a nice boy.
If they feel a little bit sad about it, then I apologise.
The Swedish defender said that he and McInnes had been exchanging words on the sideline for 20 minutes before the moment in question.
Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
