A German sports reporter has been hit in the head with a soccer ball from a considerable distance while conducting a pre-game interview.
Video of the accident showed the ball flying across the pitch before striking Sky Sports reporter Jessica Kastrop in the back of the head as teams prepared for the upcoming game, Bild reported.
Stuttgart player Khalid Boulahrouz raced over to claim responsibility for the errant kick and to apologise to the sportscaster, who was uninjured but surprised.
"(Boulahrouz) came running to me directly and apologized," she said afterwards.
"And of course I would never impute his intention."
It is not known whether the pre-game incident had an impact on Boulahrouz, though the defender was unable to stop a 2-0 loss at the hands of Mainz.
Ms Kastrop will be reporting next week's show from the studio, Bild reported.
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