Maurizio Sarri said “referees are victims” and revealed why he was sent off in Empoli’s 2-2 draw with Milan.
The Coach saw red during the half-time break when accosting the officials for not giving a penalty, though the handling offence did appear to be involuntary.
Maurizio Sarri said “referees are victims” and revealed why he was sent off in Empoli’s 2-2 draw with Milan.
The Coach saw red during the half-time break when accosting the officials for not giving a penalty, though the handling offence did appear to be involuntary.
“Bonera seemed to be far away from his teammate and didn’t pull his arm away,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.
“I just told the referee that when we play against big clubs, the officials are always a little afraid of giving decisions against them. I could’ve avoided saying that, but the referee could also have been a little more understanding.
“I don’t think it is entirely the fault of the referees, as when they make decisions against one club they get huge media coverage, which is not reflected in errors against smaller sides.
“I see referees as victims, but they cannot be entirely free from psychological sublimation towards some clubs.
“It wasn’t just that incident, as I saw a second yellow card given to Valdifiori, but not the second for Muntari.”
Empoli had a 2-0 lead, but fumbled it and Sarri saw two precise turning points in the game.
“I think the decisive moments were conceding just before the break when we deserved to be much further in front, then Tavano’s chance followed a few minutes later by Milan’s equaliser.”
It was the second consecutive 2-2 draw for the newly-promoted Tuscans, who fought back from 2-0 down against Cesena at the weekend.
“If we could maintain the same tempo and intensity as the first 30-35 minutes, then we wouldn’t be talking about a battle for safety. Unfortunately we paid a price for the energy used up on Saturday.
“Empoli play with this style because of the characteristics of my players. We don’t have much of a physical presence and really don’t give our best in ‘dirty’ games that are very hard-fought and niggly.
“We tend to play better against sides like Milan who are open and ready to play.”