Thomas Tuchel believes Neymar’s foul-mouthed Instagram rant came in the heat of the moment and called for leniency to be shown to his player.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward reacted angrily to his side’s dramatic elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Manchester United on Wednesday night.
Marcus Rashford scored a stoppage-time penalty to send United through after VAR penalised Presnel Kimpembe for handball.
Neymar, who was unavailable for both legs against United due to a foot injury, called the decision a “disgrace” on Instagram and told the officials “go f**k yourselves”.
“Of course it’s a strong reaction,” PSG head coach Tuchel said, when Neymar’s words were put to him in his post-match press conference.
“Sometimes after a big fight you use words and reaction emotionally that you take back some hours later.
“He wanted to come back with us in the quarter-finals and he’s been biting his nails at every game we’ve played, so don’t be too hard with him.
“I wouldn’t over-interpret the use of his words. In the heat of the moment, it’s quickly typed into a smart phone.”
Neymar was present at the Parc des Princes to watch his side’s second leg against United and television cameras caught his stunned reaction to Rashford’s crucial goal.
“This is a disgrace,” he would later write on social media. “They put four people that know nothing about football in charge of looking at the replay for VAR.
“There is no penalty. How can it be a handball when it hits his back?! Go f**k yourselves!”
Neymar could face disciplinary action from Uefa, European football's governing body, for his outburst.
