Inter hit out at Juventus as refereeing squabble continues

Inter have taken a swipe at Juventus following critical remarks from the champions’ general director Giuseppe Marotta.

The Serie A leaders beat Inter 1-0 in Turin last Sunday in a match which included a number of debatable decisions from referee Nicola Rizzoli.

Ivan Perisic was sent off in the closing stages and the visitors’ frustrations boiled over after the final whistle, with Mauro Icardi slapped with a two-match ban for kicking the ball towards Rizzoli.

Inter’s official TV channel broadcast replays of some of the more controversial calls, prompting Marotta to brand Stefano Pioli’s side as “embarrassing” and accuse them of perpetuating an Italian football culture of blaming officials.

Marotta’s criticism prompted Inter to release a statement on Thursday, which read: “In response to recent comments in the media, Inter finds it hard to understand why Juventus continue to talk about us when our focus has never been on them.

“The fact that there is always such a lot of attention on Inter is confirmation of the importance of our club.

“We have, politely and through the appropriate channels, sought to discuss what we consider to be debatable refereeing decisions in a match that was important not only to us, but to the whole of Serie A.

“Now we are thinking about the future, without forgetting that we played well in Turin despite the final result.

“We all have a
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past. We have ours and we’re proud of it.”

Statement from F.C. Internazionale: proud of our history, focused on the future https://t.co/UlaQF38owJ #FCIM

— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter_en) February 9, 2017