By Danielle Rendina
Ajax vice-captain Joel Veltman has defended his 'unsportsmanlike' behaviour against Sparta Rotterdam over the weekend, after his antics attracted rebuke in the press and on social media.
Veltman pretended to stop the game for injured teammate Bertrand Traore before sprinting down the line to deliver a cross as the opposition defender turned away.
On the defensive: Joel Veltman.Credit: Getty Images
Sparta Rotterdam defender Ivan Calero, was ready to challenge Veltman before the 25-year-old signalled for his opponent to stop so that Traore could be treated.
As the Sparta defender turned to check on Traore, Veltman seized his opportunity to accelerate away down the wing and deliver an unchallenged cross into the box - the danger was easily snuffed out by the defence.
"I was just being clever," Veltman told Dutch outlet Metro.
"Bertrand went down and I thought to myself 'I am going to use this to my advantage'", he said.
"I pretended to kick the ball out of play, but when my opponent looked behind him, I just went past him instead."
"I know that it was perhaps not the most beautiful thing to do, but it was just something clever, nothing more. I can have a good laugh about it."
"I think people are exaggerating all this a bit. It was not like I found myself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after it."