Gian Piero Gasperini explains why he was sent off for dissent against Milan, calling referee Marco Di Bello ‘very rude’, but hopes to finally give Atalanta the Coppa Italia trophy.
La Dea completed the comeback at San Siro with a brace from Teun Koopmeiners after Rafael Leao had combined with Theo Hernandez to put the Rossoneri in front.
Gasperini had to watch most of the game from the stands, because he was sent off for dissent after VAR did not intervene on an apparent Tijjani Reijnders push on Marten de Roon.
VAR was also silent on the winning Atalanta penalty, when Alex Jimenez appeared to get his boot to the ball before Aleksei Miranchuk.
“I don’t think I need to say anything, the footage speaks for itself,” Gasperini told Mediaset of the first incident.
“VAR is an extraordinary instrument when used well, but it is becoming a battle now, nobody entirely understands who is officiating, the VAR or the referee. It is a big problem, as there is such a disparity in the treatment of incidents. There is no clarity.”
It is also safe to say that Gasperini was sent off because he visibly swore at referee Marco Di Bello after being shown a yellow card.
“I asked the referee to see it again on the VAR monitor, that is for certain. I can also say that Di Bello is very rude, because we have bad history with him and with Valeri in the VAR. Before the match, he walked past me and didn’t even say hello.
“Going back years with Valeri and Di Bello, there is an enormous list of problems. Having said that, I wipe the slate clean after every match and start from scratch. I never tried to demand that certain referees not be assigned to our games.”
Atalanta will face Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia semi-final, which is the only round in the competition to be played over two legs.
It is the fourth time under Gasperini’s tenure that the Bergamo boys have reached the final four in this competition after 2018, 2019 and 2021.
“Atalanta have done so much in recent years. It’s true we do not have any silverware, and while the Champions League or Scudetto are not really on our level, we did reach the Coppa Italia Final a few times and we do still want to go all the way eventually.”
Gasp was informed that the Atalanta fans who couldn’t get tickets are already gathering at the Zingonia training ground in Bergamo to welcome their team home.
“I am glad, it had been a few years since that happened and perhaps the fans were a bit too accustomed to us doing well. Coming to San Siro and winning in front of 70,000 people is a remarkable achievement and tonight we celebrate.”
La Dea are also challenging for a top four finish in Serie A and beat Milan 3-2 only last month in the league.
“This is a different team, it has different characteristics, very young players all over the pitch. We have a solid nucleus in defence and midfield, tactically we know how to face any system even if they change their plans. If we can get De Ketelaere and Scamacca to be more consistent and evolve, then we can get even better.”
Gasperini a Mediaset: "Il VAR sta diventando una guerra. Di Bello è un gran maleducato" https://t.co/h0pKC3kzK4
— MilanNews.it (@MilanNewsit) January 10, 2024
Same Ref Mou had trouble with last season. Italian refereeing has declined over the last few years