Ancelotti explains middle finger salute
Carlo Ancelotti has claimed he was spat on by supporters after Bayern Munich's 96th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Hertha Berlin.
Carlo Ancelotti has admitted to raising his middle finger to supporters in the aftermath of Bayern Munich's 1-1 draw with Hertha Berlin, but claimed he did so because he was spat on.
Second-half substitute Robert Lewandowski rescued a point for Bayern by equalising with the last kick of the game, before the final whistle sparked angry clashes between the two sets of players.
Lewandowski's goal arrived in the 96th minute and Hertha's players and supporters protested the referee's decision to allow more than the allotted amount of stoppage-time to be played.
Ancelotti was the target of abuse from the home supporters at Olympiastadion, and the 57-year-old admitted to reacting to the provocation by gesturing with his middle finger.
He told Bild: "Yes, I made that gesture, because I was spat on."
Ancelotti was also adamant Bayern deserved its last-gasp equaliser, irrespective of the controversial nature of it.
"We knew that a difficult game awaited us," he said. "Hertha put in a very good performance in the first half and put in a lot of effort.
"Things were different after the break, though. We put a lot of pressure on them.
"I think we deserved our goal. In the end, a draw was a fair result."
Bayern remains unbeaten in its past 10 Bundesliga matches, but its lead at the top of the table could be cut to five points if RB Leipzig beats Borussia Monchengladbach on Monday (AEDT).
