John Hartson has apologised to Victor Moses for claiming the Stoke forward cheated to win a penalty in the Potters' 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory over Swansea last Sunday.
Stoke's equaliser in the Britannia Stadium contest came from a penalty awarded when Moses went to ground - a little easily, it appeared - as he was challenged in the box by Angel Rangel.
Potters chairman Peter Coates reportedly made an official complaint to the BBC after Match Of The Day 2 pundit Hartson echoed Swansea boss Garry Monk's comments that Moses cheated by diving to win the penalty.
However, the matter now appears to have been resolved in a friendly fashion after Stoke revealed Hartson phoned Moses to apologise for his comments.
"Stoke City can confirm John Hartson has spoken directly to Victor Moses regarding comments he made on the BBC's 'Match of the Day 2' last weekend," a statement released on Friday on www.stokecityfc.com said.
"Hartson was critical of Moses after the Potters winger was awarded a penalty in last Sunday's 2-1 home win over Swansea.
"Following discussions between the Club and the BBC, Hartson today spoke to Moses to offer apologies for any offence he may have caused."
Moses, who is on a season-long loan at Stoke from parent club Chelsea, is keen to put the matter behind him after speaking to Hartson.
"I'm grateful to John for having taken the trouble to ring me to apologise for his comments," he said.
"I'm happy to accept his apology and am now keen to move on."
The FA, meanwhile, has contacted Monk to seek his observations about his post-match comments following Sunday's match at the Britannia Stadium.
Source: PA
