Sarri Slams Lazio Hierarchy Over Referees Stance, Amdits Castellanos Struggles

In partnership with

The Laziali

·21 December 2025

Sarri Slams Lazio Hierarchy Over Referees Stance, Amdits Castellanos Struggles

Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri expressed his displeasure with the club’s hierarchy, who didn’t back him when he took a stance against the refereeing injustice.

Lazio Settle for Goalless Draw Against Cremonese

The 66-year-old spoke to the press (via Il Messaggero) following Saturday’s uninspiring stalemate against Cremonese. The Biancocelesti boss insisted that his team was up against a highly dangerous opponent that had already put other top clubs in trouble.

OneFootball Videos

We’ve confirmed ourselves as a team that gives nothing away, but Cremonese are good at staying in the game and they’re dangerous: they even scored twice against Milan when they looked dead and buried. We produced a poor first half in terms of quality, with basic mistakes. We raised the tempo a little, but did far too little to win the match. Do we need more quality or organisation to score more? I hope organisation.

Maurizio Sarri Discusses Lazio’s Midfield Crisis

Sarri then addressed the team’s never-ending emergency status, as Matteo Guendouzi’s yellow card means that the midfield has been pared down to the bones for next weekend’s trip to Udine.

Someone will have to play in Udine; we’ll only have two midfielders available. The situation is becoming dramatic and it’s been going on for months. Playing five or six games in a row with seven or eight absentees is tough, and sooner or later you pay for it. I don’t expect more from individual players, but from everyone collectively. With the first five balls we touched, we opened up five counter-attacks for them. We went long too often; they are specialists at winning second balls. We raised the tempo after the break, but it wasn’t enough.

Toma Basic is still serving a two-match ban, Nicolo Rovella is out until mid-January with an injury, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru joined Nigeria for the African Cup of Nations.

Player Ratings: Lazio 0-0 Cremonese – Biancocelesti Veterans Fail the Test

Sarri Lambasts Lazio Management for Lack of Support

Lazio had a couple of penalty shouts dismissed, so Sarri was asked to comment on the refereeing. However, the manager refused to fall into the same trap, while taking the opportunity to aim a dig at the management.

Please talk to the club about referees. I did it once and they put out a statement against me, saying exactly the opposite The situation is so clear that if I speak out, take a stance and then get suspended. You (the journalist) take the stance, then I’ll read about you tomorrow…

This was a reference to Sarri’s suggestion to bring in foreign referees following the defeat to Inter Milan last month, as he considered Italian officials below the required level. This prompted a response from the hierarchy, which released an official statement, distancing itself from the coach’s comments.

Taty Castellanos ill-suited to Lazio?

On a separate note, the former Napoli and Juventus tactician admitted that Taty Castellanos is struggling for form, hinting that the Argentine might not be the ideal profile to lead Lazio’s attack.

If you leave him on a loose rein, by nature he drifts wide to go and get the ball. I ask him to attack the box through central channels. Either our way of playing isn’t suited to him, or he’s going through a difficult spell that he’ll come out of. Strikers who score do so in every system in the world — it’s not as if Lewandowski stops scoring when he changes clubs. He’s feeling better, his legs are stronger than two years ago, and he’ll score again.