Marouane Fellaini has said that his reaction to Robert Huth tugging his hair was “normal” and said he and his teammates know he is not a dirty player.
Fellaini will be hoping to appear in Manchester Utd’s FA Cup final tie against Crystal Palace tomorrow after serving a three-match ban for the altercation with Huth.
The Belgium has been criticised by some quaters of the footballing world for his behaviour, but he insists that has done nothing wrong and is not a dirty player.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj1jHaLLv5o
He told The Sun: “If I had to listen to all the opinions about me, my head would explode. People can think whatever they want but I know when I do good and when I make a mistake.
“The opinions I listen to are my manager, coaches and team-mates. I am not a dirty player. I have never injured a player. Never.
“Maybe sometimes I am impulsive. It’s my character. But when someone pulls your hair, it’s normal to react.
“In this case, I didn’t deserve this punishment. Huth grabbed my hair and gave me pain in my neck. I just reacted.
“It’s normal. If someone grabs my hair next week, I’ll react the same way. Come on, you would do the same. I didn’t intend to elbow him and if the ref had seen what happened, it was a penalty for Manchester United.”
He also said that the Premier League is physical and was saddened by his three-match ban.
“There are a lot of duels and challenges in the penalty box in the Premier League. But this time, I didn’t deserve punishment. I’m sad because three matches is a lot.
“The manager, the players, the staff, everyone at the club knows my reaction was normal. That’s why they weren’t angry with me.”
