Pepe Reina stood up for Napoli Coach Maurizio Sarri after homophobia accusations from Roberto Mancini. “I respect him beyond football.”
The two tacticians clashed on the touchline during the closing minutes of Inter’s 2-0 Coppa Italia quarter-final victory at the San Paolo.
Pepe Reina stood up for Napoli Coach Maurizio Sarri after homophobia accusations from Roberto Mancini. “I respect him beyond football.”
The two tacticians clashed on the touchline during the closing minutes of Inter’s 2-0 Coppa Italia quarter-final victory at the San Paolo.
Mancini accused Sarri of shouting homophobic slurs at him, while the Napoli boss insisted it should “remain on the pitch.”
“I don’t know precisely what the Coach said, but when you are annoyed you say many things,” Reina told Rai Sport.
“If he was wrong, he’ll be the first to admit that. Obviously these are things that should remain on the pitch. Many times people say things they don’t really believe.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, I can only tell you that the Coach is someone who sets the example for me to follow. I have respect for him that goes beyond football.”
As for the game itself, it was Napoli’s third defeat of the entire competitive season along with five draws and 20 victories.
“We can win every game, but tonight we didn’t manage it. Inter played better than last time we met and scored with their only two shots on target.
“Unfortunately we were unlucky, but we continue working and on Sunday we have another Serie A Final. Did we miss Gonzalo Higuain? He’s fundamental for us, but he would be in any team.”