Juventus director general Beppe Marotta insists his club “did nothing unfair or unethical” with regards to a battle with Fiorentina over Dimitar Berbatov.
Juventus director general Beppe Marotta insists his club “did nothing unfair or unethical” with regards to a battle with Fiorentina over Dimitar Berbatov.
The former Manchester United striker had agreed terms with the Viola and was flying out to complete his medical, but never turned up.
Juve claimed they only began talks after being told by United that the move to Florence had collapsed, but later that evening Berbatov changed his mind again and signed for Fulham.
“Have I met with President Della Valle after the Berbatov affair? No and I don’t want to talk about it,” said Marotta ahead of tonight’s Fiorentina-Juventus match.
“We didn’t do anything unfair or unethical. We acted with great respect and now false motivations are given to this whole situation.”
The Berbatov saga only added to the huge tension between the clubs, which means Coach Antonio Conte is watching this game from the Juventus Channel Plexiglas box rather than the stands.
“The tone around this match is a little over the top and the fact Conte can’t sit in the stands is a negative advertisement for Italian football. We put in the effort, but everything around this match seems exaggerated.”
Marotta also revealed the summer Juventus approach for Stevan Jovetic was not entirely unwelcome.
“We received positive feedback from the player and his entourage, but talking about anything else is pointless now.”