Germany star Thomas Muller says he intended no disrespect towards San Marino after saying an 8-0 win over the microstate "had nothing to do with football".
Muller has been heavily criticised for the comments, drawing notable ire from San Marino coach Pierangelo Manzaroli and director of communications of the country's Olympic Committee, Alan Gasperoni, who produced a light-hearted, but cutting, 10-point rebuttal to the Bayern Munich man.
The striker was teased over his inability to score against the minnows, in a season in which he is yet to find the net in the Bundesliga for Bayern.
And Muller was prompted to clarify his stance, claiming that his frustration lay with a packed schedule with club and country.
Muller posted on Facebook: "My statement in the interview after Friday's game concerned a question of the sporting value of a game against San Marino put against the risk of injury.
"This has been taken out of context by some media, and now people have the wrong impression, influenced by a humorous social media post by a former official at the San Marino Football Association.
"I would like to clarify here that I gave my answer respectfully to show both sides of the subject."
After providing his original interview, in full and without spin, Muller added: "I can assure my fans I will not shy away from expressing my opinions in the future, even with difficult and unpleasant topics."
