Massimo Pavan has accused Antonio Conte of attempting to influence the referee ahead of Juventus’ match against Napoli later today.
The former Juve manager and player will lead his Napoli team to Turin this weekend, aiming to secure a victory against the Bianconeri.
This is one of the standout fixtures in Europe’s top leagues this weekend, and both clubs are eager to come away with three points.
Motta is focused on guiding his team to a win, and the same goes for Conte, who will have extra motivation in this clash.
During his pre-match press conference, Conte emphasised the need for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to be protected on the pitch, suggesting the attacker is often unfairly targeted.
However, Pavan believes Conte’s comments are an attempt to sway the referee’s decisions.
He says, as quoted by Tuttojuve:
“Conte gave a warning to the referee today, did anyone understand? We need to be careful, he talked about warnings for those who touch Kvaratskehlia, almost as if it were a warning to someone, perhaps he doesn’t see the fouls they make on Yildiz, in any case it really seems like an attempt to influence someone”.
Juve FC Says
It is normal for managers to ask for protection for their players, but we expect the referee to do the right thing in this match.
It will be an important fixture and there is no room for mistakes from the officials.
As the football world laughs that Juve would imply a ref should call a fair match.