Malian midfielder Seydou Keita said he refused to shake hands with Pepe during a friendly game between AS Roma and Real Madrid because the Portuguese defender previously called him a monkey.

Keita accused Pepe of spitting at him after the handshake refusal, with the Roma midfielder reacting by throwing a bottle of water at the tough-tackling defender, who is no stranger to controversy.

“He called me a monkey before during a Barcelona-Real Madrid clash … sorry for my attitude,” the 34-year-old former Barcelona man said on his Twitter feed.

“I think I have the right not to greet someone who treated me like that … he spits at me and it’s impossible to accept.”

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports).