Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri once again harshly criticized the management of Italian football, directly targeting Serie A due to the time of the classic against Roma, scheduled for 12 noon in Italy, 11am in Portugal.
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In the preview of the match, Sarri did not mince words. “What we saw last week demonstrates the inability to manage Italian football. There are many experts on sports politics and no experts on football. These people don’t know the smell of grass,” he said.
The coach had threatened not to attend the game if it was scheduled for Sunday lunch. Now, he has clarified that his words were a provocation. «I would never leave the players alone in this mess. It was my opinion about the League which, in my opinion, is not managing our championship and our product in the best way, which is already in difficulties», he said.
The time for the classic was fixed after an agreement between the League and the city hall, due to the final of the tennis tournament in Rome, which would take place at 5pm at Foro Italico. Sarri regretted the decision, highlighting the importance of the journey. «A day in which five teams compete for almost 80 million could be a product to make us rise in public opinion and, instead, you decide to play at noon», he criticized.
The Lazio coach extended his criticism to schedules in general, citing specific examples. «We played a classic at 12:30 pm and another at 12 pm. In the Primavera [youth] championship, Lazio played the first match in August at 12pm, no one wanted to enter the field and there was no one in the stands. We cannot expect the boys who play in this context to be ready in a few months to play at San Siro,” he concluded.
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