Milan assistant boss Mauro Tassotti says Mario Balotelli stepped over the line with his post-match protests following the loss to Napoli.

The striker had a heated discussion with referee Luca Banti following the 2-1 loss which has seen him suspended for three games as a result.

Milan assistant boss Mauro Tassotti says Mario Balotelli stepped over the line with his post-match protests following the loss to Napoli.

The striker had a heated discussion with referee Luca Banti following the 2-1 loss which has seen him suspended for three games as a result.

“What happened after the final whistle counts for nothing,” Tassotti told Milan Channel. “The match was over and you cannot change anything then.

“I was there at the meeting with the referees where the captains were also there and the outcome was that the players have to be more educated when they come to confronting the referee.

“You can ask them a question, but you cannot go too far and in this case Mario probably overstepped the mark and was in the wrong.

“I don’t know exactly what happened because I had headed down to the dressing room. We have to accept what happened and take the outcome as it stands.”

The defeat means that, much like last season, Milan have made a problematic start to the campaign by collecting just four points from four games.

“After a match like that we have to start winning to get back into the hunt,” the former right-back noted. “However, we have a long road in front of us and the same thing happened to us last year.

“It is always difficult to bounce back because we cannot afford anymore slip ups. We have made mistakes, but we can win games so let’s see how it turns out.”

Milan travel to Bologna tomorrow night.

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