During his pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Conference League clash against AZ Alkmaar, Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri said José Mourinho’s two-match ban was put on hold out of respect for his career.
The Portuguese was issued with a two-game suspension and fined €10,000 following an explosive altercation with fourth official Marco Serra during Roma‘s recent 2-1 loss to Cremonese in Serie A.
Mourinho was expected to begin serving his ban when Juventus visited the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening, but the FIGC decided to suspend their decision pending the outcome of their investigation.
Sarri was also slapped with a two-game ban in September 2021 after encroaching onto the field of play and “looking for an argument” with Alexis Saelemaekers during Lazio’s 2-0 defeat to Milan.
Sarri was also claimed to be “assuming intimidatory behaviour and using threatening language,” during the incident.
When asked to compare his experience with the officials to Mourinho’s current situation, Sarri pointed out the inconsistencies between the referees’ reports and those of the federal prosecutors.
“In that episode, there were two different reports between the referee and the federal prosecutor’s office that were two metres apart. So, one of the two reports was untrue,” Sarri said of his own altercation.
When asked whether he shared any sympathy with Mourinho following his recent experiences with the FIGC, Sarri responded: “Mourinho? The ban was put on hold because of his career.”
Read Sarri’s full press conference here.