Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho says he was "absolutely furious" at the position he was put in following Saturday's incident involving Cardiff City midfielder Krystian Bielik and a supporter at Fratton Park.

What happened on Saturday

The incident occurred late in the second half of Portsmouth's home victory over Cardiff. Bielik went to retrieve a ball from the crowd and became involved in a physical altercation with a fan. Hampshire Police subsequently confirmed they had launched an investigation into an incident "in which a teenage boy was reportedly the victim of a common assault", and the matter remains ongoing.

Several Portsmouth supporters present at the ground made gestures indicating they believed the fan had been grabbed by the throat. The situation drew widespread attention and put Mousinho on the front foot at his post-match press conference.

The apology and the furore it caused

Mousinho initially apologised to Cardiff City players after the final whistle and condemned what he described as the behaviour of the supporters involved. Those comments drew a notably negative response from sections of the Pompey fanbase, who felt the account of events that had reached their manager did not match what they had witnessed.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent on Wednesday, ahead of Portsmouth's forthcoming fixture against Charlton, Mousinho made clear that his post-match statement had been based entirely on what he was told at the time rather than on anything he saw himself.

"I've now seen the footage and my comments post-match were entirely based off what I was told," he said. "When the altercation kicked off I couldn't see it from where I was myself, the referee then spoke to us and his words at the time were very clear that he had seen the incident in its entirety."

According to Mousinho, the referee told him that as Bielik went to collect the ball, a fan slapped him, and a second fan threw a ball at Cardiff's Perry Ng. That account formed the basis of Mousinho's initial public remarks.

Mousinho's position now

"My first reaction having seen it back was that I was absolutely furious having been put in that position," Mousinho said on Wednesday. The strength of that language is notable: this is a manager who feels he offered a public apology on the strength of information that, having since reviewed footage, he no longer accepts as an accurate summary of events.

He added that he intends to address the matter directly with the referees' association, though he was careful to draw a line around what he would say publicly while the police investigation remains active. "On the incident itself there's an ongoing police investigation into assault of a minor, so I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on that," he said.

The body that oversees officiating across Premier League, EFL and Football Association competitions was contacted by the BBC for comment. No response had been reported at the time of publication.

What it means for both clubs

The affair has added an uncomfortable edge to what was already a fractious fixture. Portsmouth took all three points from Saturday's match, compounding a difficult start to the season for Cardiff, whose manager Brian Barry-Murphy has spoken publicly about the need for calm amid an early run without a win.

From Portsmouth's perspective, Mousinho's position is straightforward in its frustration: he made a public concession on the back of a referee's account he now considers inaccurate, and the fanbase reacted badly. Whether the referees' association responds, and how, is likely to determine where this goes next. For now, Mousinho appears to have moved from apology to indignation, and says so without any particular attempt to soften it.

The police investigation into the assault of a minor continues, which means the most consequential questions about Saturday's events will not be resolved on the training ground or in a pre-match press conference.

Frequently asked

What happened between Krystian Bielik and a Portsmouth fan?
Cardiff's Krystian Bielik was involved in a physical altercation with a supporter while retrieving a ball from the crowd late in Portsmouth's home match. Hampshire Police launched an investigation into an incident in which a teenage boy was reportedly the victim of a common assault.
Why did John Mousinho apologise to Cardiff after the game?
Mousinho apologised to Cardiff players immediately after the match based on the account of events he was given at the time, including what the referee told him at the final whistle. He has since said that after watching the footage he disputes that account and feels he was wrongly put in that position.
What is Portsmouth doing about the referee's account of the Bielik incident?
Mousinho said he is trying to resolve the matter with the referees' association. He declined to comment further on the incident itself while a police investigation into the assault of a minor remains ongoing.