Lazio midfielder Senad Lulic has apologised for making a racist insult toward Roma defender Antonio Rudiger following the Rome derby.
In a postmatch interview, Lulic said Rudiger was provoking Lazio players before the game and that "two years ago he was selling socks and belts in Stuttgart, now he acts like he's a phenomenon."
On Monday, Lulic wrote on Instagram that he realised he responded to a provocation with "another provocation."
Lulic, who is Bosnian, adds, "I come from a country that knows about the tragedies caused by ethnic prejudices. That's why I'm sorry that I got carried away by the post-derby tensions and to have expressed myself in an inopportune manner."
Still, Lulic risks a lengthy ban from league authorities.