Bortolo Mutti was absolutely furious at the “absurd penalty” awarded to Napoli. “I demand respect for Palermo.”
Bortolo Mutti was absolutely furious at the “absurd penalty” awarded to Napoli. “I demand respect for Palermo.”
The game was still 0-0 at the San Paolo when a Goran Pandev cross hit Milan Milanovic’s leg during a sliding tackle and bounced back on to his arm.
Under the Serie A rules, a ricochet cannot be considered a voluntary gesture, but the referee awarded the penalty and Napoli went on to win 2-0.
“The penalty was so obvious and damaged us to such a huge degree, especially as at that moment we deserved to be in front,” blasted Mutti.
“The rules are perfectly clear, that was not a penalty and it is a shameful decision. This is totally absurd and I demand respect for Palermo.
“There also should’ve been a penalty for us as Paolo Cannavaro clearly brought down the player without getting the ball.
“I apologise for this outburst, but I hope in the remaining two games referees can pay a little more attention to decisions that affect us.”