Espanyol keeper regrets clash with fan

(GETTY IMAGES)

Espanyol's Carlos Kameni said he regretted an incident at training when he had to be separated from a fan who suggested there was no point in the Cameroon goalkeeper renewing his contract.

The 24-year-old, whose deal with the Primera Liga strugglers expires at the end of the season, grabbed David Arroyo by the scruff of the neck before team mates pulled him away on Monday.

"I regret what happened. I know I should have ignored those words," Kameni told the club's website (www.rcdespanyol.com) today.

"I neither wanted, nor tried to, attack anyone or create any kind of problem with my behaviour but it was very hard for me to hear certain comments while I was training.

"I always give my all in training and matches. I am very self-critical and that meant I did not accept the comment I heard because it upset me a lot, both because of my personal situation and that of the team."

An Espanyol supporters organisation, Federacio Catalana de Penyes, said in a statement on its website (www.fcpe.cat) that Kameni did not deserve to wear the club shirt and called for the keeper to be handed the harshest possible punishment.