“In my opinion it was an impeccable penalty.” So he thundered Beppe Marottatwo days after Inter-Napoli and the great space given to the outburst of Antonio Conte against VAR, guilty of not having intervened to correct a decision by the referee which, according to the Italian coach, could have influenced not only the outcome of the match but of the entire season.
He had thought about it from Calhanofailing to convert the 11-metre shot that could have given the Nerazzurri victory and record, leaving the top of the championship unchanged. But the averted danger had not calmed Conte, far from it. And on TV Antonio had expressed all his disappointment for a mechanism, the one that regulates the VAR, which no longer leaves him at peace. Hence, the many analyzes on the “afterthoughts” hidden behind the statements of the Napoli leader.
More than Conte’s words, it must have been the media support that fueled the controversy that annoyed the Inter president to the point of inducing him to return to the matter just when the dust finally seemed to settle. So, for Marotta there is no doubt about the contact between Anguissa and Dumfries in the big match at the Meazza. “The referee was very close to the action, there was physical contact and the foot (of Dumfries, ed.) was moved” declared the Inter number one on the sidelines of the 2024 Nils Liedholm award received in Cuccaro Monferrato ( Alexandria).
But Marotta goes further, offering his own personal interpretation of Conte’s post-match statements, which in turn is destined to trigger new analyzes and reflections. A “strategic” reading, as if the true objective of the Napoli coach was something other than questioning the VAR management methods. “Antonio is an intelligent person – underlines Marotta -, a great communicator and certainly he will have his objective when he speaks. Then, if we want to discuss how to improve the use of VAR in terms of protocol, this is part of a constructive debate that must be done within the football system, but certainly the centrality of the referee must always be a priority.”
To be honest, the Inter president also wanted to remove other pebbles from his shoe. For example, replying to his Milan counterpart Paolo Scaroniself-described as “president of the only team in Milan”. “Points of view – replies Marotta – but I don’t want to cause controversy, Paolo is a friend”. Then, the elegant and poisonous jab with a smile on his lips: “They are on my tie two starsI hope that Milan can join them soon too.”
Returning to the hard-fought championship, which sees Napoli one point ahead of Inter but also Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio, two ahead of Juventus, Marotta says he is convinced that “the decisive months will be January-February. What’s new this year is the leading group, with Atalanta, Lazio and Fiorentina who haven’t reached this level for some time. As for us, the performances in the Champions League were very respectable while in the championship we are one point behind. But for a club like ours there is no distinction between championship and cup, the objective must always be to be protagonists to the end.”
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