Osasu Obayiuwana BBC Sport in Johannesburg

Metsu got the best from Diouf

Former Senegal coach Bruno Metsu said his former charge El Hadji Diouf is a 'misunderstood character.'

Diouf, who plays in the English Premiership for Liverpool, received a �60,000 fine and a two match ban for spitting on teenage supporter Dominic Schiavone during a Uefa Cup quarter-final match against Celtic.

"El Hadji is a young man and sometimes he does things in the heat of the moment," Metsu said.

"I have worked with him and I know that he is a good person but can lose his head sometimes.

We talked after the incident and I know that he regrets what he did Bruno Metsu

"We talked after the incident and I know that he regrets what he did," he added.

The French coach is in Johannesburg for Caf's annual awards night on Tuesday.

He is the odds-on favourite to win the Coach of the Year award for the second year in a row after taking Senegal to the final of the Nations Cup in Mali and the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Metsu admits that his time with Senegal was the most exciting of his life, but that he is always looking for new challenges.

He quit the Lions after the Senegalese FA refused to allow him to take a temporary job to coach UAE side Al Ain.

"I wanted to stay with Senegal but as everyone knows, they did not want to allow me to go to UAE and return, so that door of my life is now closed," Metsu said.