Fiorentina director Joe Barone hit back at Roma coach Jose Mourinho after complaints about the refereeing. ‘Why create controversy where it doesn’t exist? That was a penalty.’
Mourinho was furious with the officials, particularly the VAR, after a 2-0 Giallorossi defeat at the Stadio Franchi on Monday evening.
The issue at the centre of the discussion is the penalty awarded to Fiorentina after four minutes for a Rick Karsdorp challenge on Nico Gonzalez.
“That was a penalty and we all saw it perfectly well, it was a great performance and the result is fair,” Barone told reporters.
“Why create controversy where it doesn’t exist? VAR works very well, Italian football represents one of the models in world football on that score.”
The contact from Karsdorp on Gonzalez was minimal, leading some to suggest VAR should not have intervened for an on-field review.