Kerry Gaelic football manager Páidi O'Sé today apologised for an interview in which he described the county's fans as "f***ing animals".
There was outrage in Kerry after O'Sé was quoted in last week's Sunday Independentas saying Kerry people were "the roughest type of f***ing animals you could ever deal with" and added: "You can print that".
O'Sé today said he meant to say Kerry Gaelic football fans were "hard to please" and "always demanding the highest standards because they are a proud race of people".
In a statement released on Radio Kerry, O'Sé - in South Afica on a team holiday - also apologised to the people of Kerry if he had hurt, disturbed them or upset them in any way.
The manager also reaffirmed his support for trainer John O'Keefe after he suggested in the article that he wanted to take control of physical training during 2003.
He said: "When it comes to the physical training of the team John O'Keefe was the one man I wanted and pursued for the job, and he is the main cog in the Kerry machine".
Earlier, the Kerry County Board put out a statement dissociating themselves from the remarks.
GAA president elect Sean Kelly said he expected the apology from O'Sé would signal the end of the matter. "Everybody knows that people say things sometimes which they don't intend to say but Kerry supporters are well-renowned for their sportsmanship," he said.