Jose Mourinho spoke practically only about VAR Luca Banti after Roma’s 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina. ‘What’s happening is frankly too much. We want an explanation. We want respect.’
The Giallorossi were visibly never in the game at the Stadio Franchi, and not just because they went 2-0 down within 11 minutes.
The penalty seemed soft for Rick Karsdorp catching Nico Gonzalez’s shin, but the defending was dismal on Giacomo Bonaventura’s second goal.
It was also arguable that Nico Gonzalez was denied more of a penalty later on in the match for Bryan Cristante having his arms all over the striker, but this time VAR did not intervene.
Serie A | Fiorentina 2-0 Roma: Viola catch Giallorossi and Atalanta
Inevitably, Mourinho’s players looked exhausted after Thursday’s Conference League semi-final, but he kept squad rotation to a minimum.
“The explanation… we’ve been waiting for an explanation for a long time and we have no explanation,” Mourinho told DAZN.
“There is a double explanation tonight. Obviously, after Thursday’s game we were certainly lacking physical and mental energy, compared to a side that had all week to prepare.
“But I want to hear the explanation from Mr Banti of Livorno, which is not far from here. I already saw the footage, it’s a touch, not a foul. The referee was close by and did not give a penalty. In the VAR room, Mr Banti intervened.
“Aside from the penalty, Fiorentina were also stronger, they played at a different tempo and with concentration, so they deserved to win. The problem is we are not talking about just these three points, but the many, many incidents that we have no explanation for.
“Why did the VAR call a referee like Guida, who was 10 metres away and saw full well it wasn’t a penalty? Why? These are the explanations we want and do not have.
“Yes, we are in a Final, which absorbs the emotion and energy of a club like Roma, but we also have a league to play and it’s frankly too much. What keeps happening to this team is just too much.”
Mourinho was asked why Fiorentina had been more attacking from the get-go, making vertical passes compared to Roma’s constant horizontal movement.
“It is very simple. Zalewski would’ve been possibly on the bench of the youth team 12 months ago. He has played nine games in a row, including the semi-final of a European tournament.
“The difference when playing vertically is the difference of 14 games that Roma played more than Fiorentina this season. If we run 10km per game, 14 games is a lot.
“It is the difference between intensity and lack of intensity, concentration and lack of concentration. It is very simple.
“We know that we have the respect of the Roma fans, but we also want respect from the Bantis of this world, who sit in their comfortable chairs and have taken many, many points away from this team.”
Refereeing expert Luca Marelli in the DAZN studio reviewed the penalty incident and assured the spot-kick was “non-existent,” because the contact was far too soft to warrant a VAR on-field review or be considered a clear and obvious error.