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Napoli boss Conte left furious with VAR in Inter’s stalemate

Posted on by Pranco
Napoli boss Conte left furious with VAR in Inter’s stalemate

Napoli coach Antonio Conte criticized the video assistant referee (VAR) for not intervening to overturn a penalty that Inter Milan player Hakan Calhanoglu ultimately missed in his spot-kick. 1-1 draw on Sunday.

Napoli earned a point at San Siro to maintain their lead at the top of Serie A in what looks set to be an exciting title race. Conte’s team is on 26 points, one ahead of Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter and Lazio.

While Turkish midfielder Calhanoglu failed to convert from the spot, Napoli manager Conte criticized VAR for not overruling the referee’s decision to penalize Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa for a foul on Denzel Dumfries.

“Can they (VAR) intervene only when it suits them? Such a decision by the referee can transform a match and VAR cannot do anything about it?,” Conte told DAZN.

“Either VAR is there to correct mistakes, or it isn’t there. If there is a mistake, he has to intervene. It really makes me angry, but that goes for all coaches: he has to intervene when a mistake has been made. “

“If there is VAR, it should be used to correct mistakes or show the referee situations he has not seen. If it is a clear mistake, and it was, why would (referee Maurizio) Mariani just do that allowed to do.”

Despite his frustration with the referees’ decisions, Conte was pleased with his team’s performance against the Italian champions.

“I said we wouldn’t come here just to be sparring partners against the strongest team in Serie A, so it was important for us to face them with strength and character and accept duels all over the field,” said he.

“In that respect I am very satisfied. It was not easy to play here, we all know that we are making improvements and working hard, otherwise you would not come to San Siro twice and also against Juventus without defeat.

“The boys are proving themselves, although of course we could have done a lot more today in terms of quality. There were too many mistakes, a lot of technical errors, but I’m sure there will be further improvements.”