Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has apologized for not shaking the hand of German President Joachim Gauck after Bayern’s Champions League finalloss to Chelsea in Munich.
A photo of a vacant-lookingSchweinsteiger, silver medal in his hand, walking past Gauck’s extended hand without even looking at the president featured in most German newspapers on Monday.
“It’s absolutley not thecase, it’s a misunderstanding,” Schweinsteiger said in a statement issued through the club of the apparent snub. “If you put yourself, even a little bit, in my situation and if you look at the photo,you can see I’m completely in my own world after such a disapointment. I was shocked, disapointed, like paralyzed. I just didn’t see the president’s hand. I’m sorry I gave another impression at thattime. I want to apologize to the president for that.”
Schweinsteiger missed his penalty kick in the shootout that Chelsea won 4-3 after overtime ended, 1-1.