Serie A Referee Chief Responds To Napoli Manager Outburst After Inter Milan Match: “We Need Respect” | OneFootball

Lega Serie A referee chief Gianluca Rocchi responded to Antonio Conte following the Napoli manager’s outburst in his post-Inter Milan conference.

In his recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, as reported by FCInterNews, Rocchi condemned Conte’s harsh comments on refereeing and VAR.

Napoli threw away an early lead in a hard-earned 1-1 draw against Inter on Sunday night.

Simone Inzaghi’s side could’ve taken all three points.

However, Hakan Calhanoglu fluffed his lines from the spot after scoring a stunning equalizer toward the end of the first half.

Indeed, it was his first missed penalty for Inter at the 20th attempt.

But Maurizio Mariani’s decision to award the Nerazzurri a spot-kick left Conte fuming.

The ex-Inter manager couldn’t hide his frustration in the post-match interview, aiming a dig at Mariani and VAR.

He felt there was no contact between Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Denzel Dumfries in the box.

Yet, VAR didn’t see eye-to-eye with Conte after reviewing the incident.

Gianluca Rocchi Responds to Antonio Conte After His Media Rage in Inter Milan vs Napoli Post-Game Conference

“Certainly, first of all, we need to make fewer mistakes ourselves,” Rocchi admitted.

“But then we must try to be more reflective because respect is always needed.”

Speaking about ‘soft penalties,’ Rocchi asked for tolerance.

“I ask for more reflection and to be as tolerant as possible because if you don’t show respect, the atmosphere catches fire.

“I can’t exactly hold a press conference every time.

“If someone makes a clear mistake, we’ll be the ones to say that evening that it’s a mistake.”

Calhanoglu hit the post from the spot, throwing Napoli a lifeline at Giuseppe Meazza.

Despite failing to produce a shot on target after the break, Conte’s side left the city undefeated.

That helped them maintain a narrow one-point lead on Inter during November’s international break.