Beppe Marotta Lashes Out At Serie A Referee After Fiorentina 1-1 Inter Milan Draw: “It Was A Penalty, No Victim Mentality” | OneFootball

Inter Milan president Beppe Marotta lashed out at Serie A referee Andrea Colombo after last night’s 1-1 draw at Fiorentina.

Despite fighting tooth and nail to avoid relegation, La Viola held the Serie A pacesetters winless on home turf.

As a result, Cristian Chivu’s men have now gone winless in three consecutive league matches for the first time since 2023.

However, the match didn’t lack controversy.

Indeed, referee Andrea Colombo refused to penalize Marin Pongracic for handling the ball inside his own box.

Refereeing mistakes continue to pile up against Inter, prompting Beppe Marotta to address this niggling issue.

Beppe Marotta Lashes Out at Andrea Colombo After Fiorentina 1-1 Inter Milan Draw

Yesterday’s stalemate in Tuscany helped second-placed AC Milan reduce the gap to six points.

Nevertheless, Inter remain in pole position to win their third Scudetto since 2010.

“I believe the league announced in time that the meeting had been postponed at the federation’s request,” Marotta said. “I don’t know the exact reasons, but I’m sure they’re valid. As for the rest, today there are plenty of VAR ‘experts,’ and many pundits have confirmed it was a penalty.

“I’ll leave it at that – you can judge for yourselves. We’re not playing the victim, but there must be consistency in decisions. The protocol isn’t applied uniformly, and certain incidents are interpreted too subjectively instead of relying on objective evaluations through technology like TV images.

“I hope that next season we can have a more consistent protocol and more uniform refereeing, because some referees let a lot go while others whistle and book more. These are technical matters, and I won’t go into them further.

“Over the course of a season, every club has complaints. I’m here because you asked me to speak, as everything should be transparent. You’ve made that assessment, and I acknowledge it.

“But in the end, over a full season, things tend to even out. I don’t want to hide behind these issues – it mustn’t become an excuse, especially for our team. I want the fans to stay close to us.

“They’ve been fantastic all season, and the players must keep going, even knowing there could be refereeing mistakes. We have to be stronger than those errors.”

Beppe Marotta Delivers Verdict on Inter Milan Drop-Off

“We’re at a particular stage of the season in which we’re currently top of the table on merit, with a six-point lead,” Marotta added. “That’s a result we perhaps couldn’t even have predicted.

“We’re also Coppa Italia semi-finalists, so I’d say we’ve achieved two out of three objectives. In the Champions League, we could have done better. However, there are opponents too, and sometimes they’re unpredictable and underestimated, which is why we were eliminated.

“As for the league, there are eight rounds left and we have a six-point advantage. We’re going through a difficult spell, a downturn perhaps linked to injuries and fatigue from a packed schedule.

“But it’s something I see in our rivals as well, so I’m not here to look for excuses – only to say we’ll fight until the end, fully aware we’re six points clear at the top.”

Asked what Inter management can do to help the team overcome this crisis, Marotta replied: “Simply by talking things through and doing what we’ve always done.

“The coach is the leader of the group and will analyse the situation in the best possible way with his staff. This isn’t a psychodrama, but a difficult moment, which often happens in sport.

“It was unthinkable for me to be here today saying that, with eight games to go, we’d have a six-point lead. We know there are difficulties, and sometimes it’s easier to be the hunter than the hunted, because opponents raise their level against you.”

Beppe Marotta Urges Inter Milan Not to Panic

“We have to be better at dealing with this transition period,” Marotta was adamant. “But I remain optimistic – I know our team is strong and full of professionals who do their job in the best possible way. Now it’s about finding the path we’ve temporarily lost.”

Finally, he admitted that he hopes the recent slump won’t derail Inter’s morale heading into the season finale.

“I hope not, and I don’t think so. If anything, the mental aspect is far more important for today’s players than in the past. Pressure exists, and modern coaches and players must be able to handle these difficulties – they’re part of the job.”

Inter will resume their Serie A campaign on April 5 when they take on top-four hopefuls Roma in a high-stakes showdown at San Siro.