(CNN) -- It was the soccer foul seen round the world -- a knee to an opponent's groin.
It didn't earn a red card and a sending off for Bolivian President Evo Morales, but it was caught on video and -- and this viral world of Youtube -- got him a lot of unwanted attention.
Morales apologized Thursday for his intemperate action, saying he had fallen into a trap. The player he kneed in the groin in a friendly soccer game Sunday had kicked him in the leg and then literally added insult to injury, Morales said at a news conference.
"The player who kicked me started to insult me and offend me and I very much regret my reaction," Morales said. "I ask forgiveness to the sportsmen, to the players, to the player. But after kicking me, it was another insult, a reaction.
"Again, I ask for forgiveness. Sport is integration, but later I realized it was a trap," Morales said.
CNN
