Rakitic: Barcelona player says sorry to Granada, Pereira
Speaking after Barcelona's win against Sevilla, Ivan Rakitic apologised for his foul-mouthed weekend tirade at Granada's Andreas PereiraBarcelona-Sporting CP live online
Ivan Rakitic has said sorry to Granada and Andreas Pereira over his abusive tirade at the player during Barcelona's LaLiga win at Los Cármenes on Sunday.
Cameras captured the Croat calling Pereira a "son of a b**tch" and taunting the Manchester United loanee over 19th-placed Granada's battle to avoid relegation.
Granada boss Lucas Alcaraz was later critical of Barça and Rakitic for their failure to express contrition over the incident, slamming the "disrespect" shown to his club.
Rakitic: "I'd like to apologise"
Speaking after Barça's 3-0 league victory over Sevilla on Wednesday, however, Rakitic said: "These things can happen out on the pitch, and I'd like to apologise.
"I didn't intend to offend anyone, and I'm sorry if I did," the 29-year-old added. "I know a lot of people in Granada and I don't wish any misfortune on anyone."
On Los Azulgranas' win against his former club, he said: "I felt good during the match; I felt strong, and the way things were coming off for us was great to see."
Rakitic, who is banned for Saturday's LaLiga trip to Málaga after being booked against Sevilla, went on: "We have to prepare well for the Juventus game [in the Champions League next Tuesday] with a good performance at La Rosaleda.
"We have to keep on playing like this."
