Aurelio De Laurentiis released a statement hitting back at referees after “grave errors” in Napoli–Juventus.
The 3-1 result at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday night sparked controversy, as did the tweets by President De Laurentiis criticising the officials.
Aurelio De Laurentiis released a statement hitting back at referees after “grave errors” in Napoli-Juventus.
The 3-1 result at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday night sparked controversy, as did the tweets by President De Laurentiis criticising the officials.
President of the AIA (Italian Referees’ Association) Marcello Nicchi replied by warning “De Laurentiis will answer for his comments in front of the Disciplinary Commission.
“I see no reason to suspend Paolo Tagliavento. At times people write without thinking. Calciopoli is finished and controversy is not constructive criticism. I am worried that this could generate violence.”
This evening De Laurentiis released a statement via the official Napoli website that continued the row.
“I totally contest Nicchi’s accusations towards me, even though I am not surprised the head of the referees wanted to defend those who made grave errors.
“My tweets are simple, essential and absolutely not offensive, as they encapsulate the reality of the facts that was then widely shared and reaffirmed by the media.
“In such a delicate match, the obviousness of the errors was so bad that I felt it necessary to point them out.
“Coming from the world of cinema I was educated in democracy and freedom of expression. Criticism is always constructive to improve all our performances, including those referees whose profession demands they are extremely rigorous in their impartiality.
“I simply wanted to point out the current system is inadequate and needs to be revised urgently, such as the introduction of video replays. I have called for many years for this to be introduced, as it is already adopted by many professional sports.”