After Napoli's resounding 3-0 defeat at Juventus, Antonio Conte ignited the refereeing debate without going so far as to explicitly report the incident. In a press conference, the Napoli coach addressed the controversial incident in the Juventus penalty area, the contact between Højlund and Bremer, and, most importantly, the failure to intervene at the monitor.
"What did I say to Mariani after the match? I asked why he hadn't gone to watch it on VAR, but he didn't answer me. It means he was calm," Conte explained, revealing his uncertainty about the interpretation of the move.
The coach then expanded the discussion to the overall management of calls with technology: “As fourth official I had the referee who made two right decisions and when called to the VAR he changed them, making them wrong.”
Hence the decision not to go any further: "I told myself it's better to keep quiet today, otherwise I'll end up in the meat grinder. From this point of view, it's better to stay calm. There are situations that are untouchable, so it's better not to touch them."
Conte also addressed the potential penalty for the contact between Bremer and Højlund, dismissing the incident as a "pitch situation" but reiterating a broader point: "We're talking too much, and that's not even good because sometimes it comes out badly. Let them do what they think best. What I always say is that we hope there's honesty; we hope for this in the name of honest football."
Finally, the most clear-cut attack concerns the acceptability of errors in the VAR era: “Maybe it was better before, you tolerated mistakes more, now it's difficult to make mistakes in front of a video camera so often.”
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Antonio Conte is bitter, but chooses the path of pride and candor after Napoli's elimination from the Coppa Italia by Como on penalties. The Italian coach starts with his team's performance, which was put to the test by a situation he bluntly describes as complicated. "Credit to the lads, because it was absolutely not an easy match. We were facing a Como side with a full squad and who were coming off a ten-day break. We, on the other hand, played a demanding game against Genoa. Today too, we were without another player like McTominay. We're performing beyond our current potential."
Conte doesn't shy away from the topic of refereeing, but tries not to turn it into a major excuse. "I don't want to always talk about referees. Every match, there's always someone or something complaining. It's definitely not a good season for referees. I hope we can improve the situation: ultimately, it's all the teams that complain. Just as we improve our teams, I think Rocchi also needs to improve his referees and VAR." These words capture widespread discontent, and not just within the Azzurri.
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Comments (1)
After the match, I saw that Napoli lost, but I don't understand why Conte is so angry. Referees sometimes make mistakes, and it's not easy for them. Technology should help, but it seems complicated.