NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Chelsea winger Pedro Neto was charged by UEFA on Thursday for pushing a ballboy during the Champions League loss at Paris Saint-Germain.
Neto faces a one-game ban for the charge UEFA said was “unsporting behavior,” with a disciplinary decision to follow “in due course.”
Chelsea trails the defending champion 5-2 after the first leg on Wednesday in the round of 16. The return game is on Tuesday in London.
Neto shoved the boy in the chest for appearing to hold onto the ball instead of giving it back to the player late in the game when Chelsea trailed 4-2.
Neto later apologized to the boy and gave him his game jersey.
“With the emotions of the game, we were losing, I wanted to pick up the ball,” Neto told British broadcaster TNT Sports. “I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him and I am sorry, as I’m not like this.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Chelsea's Pedro Neto, right, embraces a ballboy who he pushed in a rush to get the ball back in play, during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez helps a ballboy to his feet after teammate Pedro Neto pushed him over in a rush to get the ball back in play, during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
PROVO, Utah (AP) — The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus was back in court Friday as a state judge weighs whether certain documents and proceedings should be open to the public.
The outcome will set the stage for an April hearing in which attorneys for Tyler Robinson will make their case to exclude TV cameras, microphones and photographers from the courtroom.
Judge Tony Graf has been weighing the public’s right to know details about the case against concerns by defense attorneys that the media attention could undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial. Prosecutors, Kirk’s widow and attorneys for news organizations have urged Graf to keep the proceedings open.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Attorneys on Friday debated whether the defense's written request to exclude cameras, which was classified by the court as private, should be made public.
Staci Visser, an attorney for Robinson, told the judge that the defense is not arguing in the court of public opinion.
“There seems to be an idea that flooding the public sphere with information from this courtroom will somehow dispel conspiracy theories or shift public narratives. That, in and of itself, is concerning to the defense,” Visser said. “All we should be worried about is protecting what happens in this courtroom.”
Robinson’s defense team went on to say that an upcoming hearing will involve discussions about prejudicial pretrial publicity — for example, evidence that has yet to be admitted, confessions, personal opinions about guilt or public statements that would otherwise be inadmissible in court.
“We don’t want to be in that position of bringing in front of the court all of this prejudicial information and having the press regurgitate it yet one more time, and reinflicting a wound that we’re seeking to avoid,” defense attorney Michael Burt said.
Christopher Ballard, a prosecutor with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, dismissed those arguments. He said careful questioning during jury selection and tools like expanding the jury pool can ensure a defendant gets a fair trial.
“So just saying that this a content tornado or there's been a barrage of media coverage doesn't necessarily mean that there is going to be prejudice to the defendant,” Ballard said.
Ballard also said most of the evidence that will be discussed at the April 17 hearing is already public, so most of it should be open. But he agreed with the defense that parts of the hearing concerning personal privacy should be closed.
The judge will decide whether the hearing will be open or partially closed.
Coalitions of national and local news organizations, including The Associated Press, are fighting to preserve media access in the case.
Media access has been a focal point of several recent hearings, with the judge placing temporary restrictions on local TV stations for showing Robinson's shackles in violation of a court order and filming close-up shots that might allow viewers to interpret what he was discussing with his attorneys.
The judge also has prevented full video recordings of Kirk’s shooting from being shown in court after defense attorneys argued the graphic footage would interfere with a fair trial. An estimated 3,000 people attended the outdoor rally to hear Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point USA who helped mobilize young people to vote for President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors have said DNA evidence connects Robinson to the killing.
At a hearing in February, the judge declined to disqualify the local county attorney’s office from prosecuting the case after the defense argued there was a conflict of interest because a prosecutor’s daughter was present when Kirk was shot.
Prosecuting and defense attorneys and defendant Tyler Robinson, right, accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, attend a hearing in 4th District Court, Friday, March. 13, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP, Pool)
Prosecutor Chad Grunander, center, listens, Friday, March. 13, 2026, in 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, during a hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP, Pool)
Attorney Richard Novak, left, and defendant Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, attend a hearing, in 4th District Court, Friday, March. 13, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP, Pool
Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf presides, Friday, March. 13, 2026, in 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, during a hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP, Pool)
FILE - Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court, in Provo, Utah, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File)
FILE - Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf presides over a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in 4th District Court, Feb. 3, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File)
