Clemente explains Eto'o outburst

Javier Clemente has moved to clarify his comments about Samuel Eto'o.

The former Spain boss sparked a fresh race row in Spain after attacking Eto'o for spitting at the end of Barca's 2-1 win over Athletic on Sunday.

Clemente declared: "Spitting is ugly behaviour, I thought it was something that people who had just come down out of the trees did."

Inevitably, that led to claims that the remarks were racially-motivated, but Clemente has now moved to try and explain his words following an outcry in the media.

"At first I didn't know that it was Eto'o who did it," he told Cadena Ser radio station.

"He's a great bloke but I expect he will regret what he did.

"I don't make any distinction between the behaviour of black and white people. If it had been (Barca defender Carles) Puyol who had done it I would have said exactly the same thing.

"It's more sporting to punch an opponent than to spit at him.

"Bad behaviour has to be eliminated from the pitch. We are all sensitive about racism and we don't give a good example by behaving like that.

"When I talked about people who had just come down from the trees I mean everyone whether they be white, black or yellow ... Sometimes I should be up in the tree too when I give a bad example."