Empoli defender Lorenzo Tonelli denies threatening German Denis, insisting “Luca Cigarini held me down while he beat me.”
The incident occurred in the tunnel after Atalanta’s 2-2 draw with Empoli on Sunday afternoon at the Stadio Azzurri d’Italia in Bergamo.
Empoli defender Lorenzo Tonelli denies threatening German Denis, insisting “Luca Cigarini held me down while he beat me.”
The incident occurred in the tunnel after Atalanta’s 2-2 draw with Empoli on Sunday afternoon at the Stadio Azzurri d’Italia in Bergamo.
Denis was given a five-match ban, but claimed he reacted when Tonelli made “death threats” against him and his son, who is a ball boy at the stadium.
“I didn’t want to speak, as I had nothing to justify in my actions, unlike others,” said Tonelli in today’s Press conference.
“But there were some very serious accusations made against me and about what happens, so I felt it was my duty to speak out.
“It was an important game, a relegation battle, and this can create excessive tension. Obviously this can lead to some quite rough physical duels and provocation from both sides, which are normal during a football match.
“I want to point out that when the referee whistles the end of the game, it all has to end there. Taking your rancour and tension beyond the final whistle is wrong and sends out a wrong message too.
“What I read, that I threatened Denis in front of his son in the players’ tunnel, is a very serious accusation. First of all, it is false, because he was talking to Sky reporters, then there are people who saw I was not in the tunnel waiting for him.
“I ask myself how the Disciplinary Commission could’ve written that or even known about it. The game had ended 20 minutes earlier, I was behind the door and heard Denis calling me.
“I looked out, he pretended to want a chat and punched me on the cheekbone without warning. I took a step back and then went towards him, but as soon as I got out of the locker room, Cigarini was there and held me down.
“Denis came back and punched me twice in the head. I managed to shrug off Cigarini and went towards Denis. An Atalanta director hauled me to the ground, the lights went off and Denis ran away.
“This is the wrong message around sport. If Atalanta had just apologised straight away, nothing would’ve happened. They wanted to justify the incident to save him and in doing so spread lies about me.
“More than physical damage, I have been morally hurt. To hear someone say I threatened him and his little boy with death… what kind of person would I be? If it had happened in the tunnel, something would’ve happened immediately and not later, right?
“I am disappointed and bitter at the whole situation. I want to understand where the Disciplinary Commission got this from.”
Atalanta midfielder Cigarini has repeatedly denied playing any part in the attack.
“He called me when I was on the team bus and swore on his children that he had nothing to do with it. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have had time to intercept me and hold me back. It was a premeditated ambu