Inter boss compares Maradona, his son fires back: "Watch your mouth" | OneFootball

A passing remark during a press conference ignited the fuse after Inter's 3-2 victory over Juventus at the Giuseppe Meazza. In the midst of his analysis, Cristian Chivu appealed to history to explain the controversial expulsion that influenced the match and ended up involving Diego Maradona, something that did not sit well with his family.

The incident that sparked the scandal occurred at the 42nd minute, with the score at 1-1. The referee showed a second yellow card to Pierre Kalulu for an alleged foul on Alessandro Bastoni. However, the replays raised doubts and a strong debate ensued over the VAR intervention.

Far from calming things down, Lautaro Martínez's coach chose a comparison that stirred the waters even more. In a press conference, he linked the play to the famous “Hand of God,” the historic goal that the Villa Fiorito idol scored against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

“Every Sunday there's a case like this, ever since Maradona scored a goal with his hand and no one said anything,” expressed the Romanian. The reference did not sit well with Napoli fans and quickly spread to social media.

The most forceful response came from the family circle. As direct as his father, Diego Maradona Junior responded bluntly and defended his legacy against the misguided comparison by the Nerazzurri coach: “What happened has nothing to do with his goal. Chivu should rinse his mouth when talking about my father. As a player, if he had done even 1% of what my father did, I would have accepted it, but that's not the case.”

Pedro Pasculli, a former teammate of the Number Ten in the Argentine National Team that won at the Azteca, also joined the controversy: “He has no right to talk about the God of football. With all due respect, he was a great player and is now starting his career as a coach, but he can't even mention Diego Maradona.”

The former striker expanded on his stance and highlighted differences between that historic action and a simulation. In a conversation with TuttoMercato, he stated: “What Diego did in that World Cup, with his hand, was a footballer's cunning. It's not like someone who throws themselves to the ground, acts, looks at the referee, and hits the ground with their hands. If Maradona played today, they would give him 4 or 5 penalties per match. That was a cunning move, like many in football. It can happen; I've also had to dive. But there's no comparison.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.