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Antonio Conte (Source: X)
Napoli manager Antonio Conte fiercely criticized VAR after a controversial penalty decision impacted the draw against Inter, leaving him utterly frustrated.
The former Chelsea and Juventus coach expressed his outrage at the match officials, both on the field and in the VAR booth, following his team's 1-1 draw with the reigning Serie A champions. Scott McTominay initially put Napoli ahead with a close-range goal, but Hakan Calhanoglu later equalized with a stunning strike, adding to Conte's ire over the officiating.
Calhanoglu had an opportunity to secure a win for the hosts but unfortunately hit a penalty against the post. The decision to award the spot-kick drew criticism from Conte, as there appeared to be minimal contact between Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Denzel Dumfries. However, there was no clear and obvious error, the decision stood.
Gaffer's take on the VAR decision
"What does it mean that the VAR cannot intervene? It only intervenes when it is convenient. If there is an error it must intervene. These incidents change matches." Conte said. "This thing really pisses me off, as it does all coaches. The VAR must correct the referees' errors or intervene if something was not seen. We are in a situation where we start to think again that there are ulterior motives on everyone's part. The referee in these cases must go and see, then at most confirm the decision." he added.
"If VAR exists, it should be used to correct mistakes or to show the referee situations that he did not see. If it is an obvious mistake, and it was, then why was referee Maurizio Mariani allowed to act this way?" he asked.
Controversial VAR decisions are dominating headlines across Europe and beyond, with the technology making significant errors, even when they have access to a multitude of tools meant to support them. The draw at San Siro solidified the fact that Napoli holds onto the top of SerieA standings as it's time to head into the international break.