Verona director Sean Sogliano was livid at the ‘lack of respect’ towards his club over the controversial Inter winner. ‘Probably someone higher up than the VAR decided it had to go like this.’
Hellas had been able to get back on level terms at San Siro after Thomas Henry cancelled out the Lautaro Martinez opener, but Davide Frattesi scored at the 93rd minute.
Multiple refereeing experts concluded VAR should have intervened, as Alessandro Bastoni elbows Ondrej Duda in the face on the corner, just before his shot cannons off the bar, then the Nicolò Barella follow-up is fingertipped into the path of Frattesi.
“I am sorry to come here and not be able to talk about football,” started director of sport Sogliano in a press conference.
“I am not moralising, Verona come here every year and lose at San Siro, I realise Inter are a great team and I hope they win the Scudetto, but today there was a huge lack of respect towards my club. We all make mistakes, referees, players, coaches, journalists and directors. But what happened today is absurd.
“It is impossible for VAR not to see that our player was elbowed in the face. You might not care and I don’t want to sit here crying about it, but this is a shocking lack of respect for a whole city, for fans and for us who work so hard every day.
“I am truly let down. I tend to trust VAR, but today what happened was shameful.”
The controversial incident comes just days after Inter were able to draw 1-1 away to Genoa with another goal that arguably should’ve seen VAR intervene for a foul in the build-up, that time a Yann Bisseck push.
To make matters worse, Darko Lazovic was shown a straight red card for dissent when telling the referee to view the elbowing incident and will therefore receive at least a one-match Serie A ban for Verona.
“It is pointless if I go to the referee and ask for an explanation if VAR did not give him any information,” continued Verona director Sogliano.
“The goal is obviously unfair. I understand you want to be here talking about Inter for the title and not poor little Verona, but if we don’t talk about this, then we just pretend it didn’t happen.
“I am truly shocked by this system, by two professionals who I respect in the VAR booth, but it is impossible that they didn’t think to call the referee back for that. Probably someone higher up than the VAR decided that it had to go like this.”
Of course, VAR did intervene a few minutes later to award Verona a penalty for Matteo Darmian’s foul on Giangiacomo Magnani, which Henry then fired onto the upright.
#Sogliano: "C'è stata una mancanza di rispetto al #Verona. Impossibile che il VAR non veda il fallo di Bastoni" https://t.co/25Q24bx5u8
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) January 6, 2024
He is right. Correct. 100% CLEAR elbow !
penalty for Inter