Juventus officials expressed their fury at what they called an “unacceptable” and “embarrassing” decision to send off defender Pierre Kalulu in Saturday’s dramatic loss to rivals Inter Milan.
Kalulu was sent off for a second yellow card late in the first half after referee Federico La Penna adjudged that the France international had pulled back Alessandro Bastoni.
Kalulu reacted with incredulity as the referee pulled out the yellow then red card and appeared to signal for the decision to be reviewed by the video assistant referee. However, yellow cards, even when they result in a red, cannot be reviewed by VAR.
Footage shared on social media showed Juventus’ director of football strategy Giorgio Chiellini and CEO Damien Comolli angrily confronting La Penna in the tunnel at half time and they continued to express their anger following Inter’s 3-2 win.
“It’s hard to talk about football after what happened today,” Chiellini said. “Something unacceptable has happened again, and you can’t ruin a game of this importance.
“This is a show that we are putting on for the world, we need to change something immediately, without wasting time, as often happens in Italian football. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been saying that there is no adequate structure for the league. We cannot continue like this. Decisions like the one made tonight cannot be taken lightly.”
Prior to the red card, Juventus had leveled the scores after Andrea Cambiaso canceled out his earlier own goal that had put Inter in front.
But Inter regained the lead in the 76th minute when forward Pio Esposito headed in powerfully from Federico Dimarco‘s left-wing cross.
While Manuel Locatelli equalized from a Weston McKennie cross in the 83rd to seemingly secure an unlikely point for Juventus’ 10-men, Piotr Zielinski‘s 90th-minute strike earned Inter victory in the Derby d’Italia.
The result could have major implications for the future of both teams this season. The victory put Inter eight points clear at the top of Serie A, though having played a game more than nearest rivals AC Milan and Napoli.
Juventus, meanwhile, are now 15 points back of the leaders and, sitting in fourth place, face a battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
“What happened today is embarrassing,” added Comolli. “It’s something that has been seen all around the world. It cannot happen again, and what happened tonight is just the latest of many things that have happened this season.
“It’s hard to accept injustices like this one. We can’t talk about football today. The coach and the players are very frustrated after what’s happened tonight. It is totally unacceptable. We lost three points, but Italian football lost much more.
“This message is, first and foremost, for our fans. At Juventus, we are united in fighting against injustice and we will not give up.”
