Matarrese: I was misunderstood

Lega Calcio chief Antonio Matarrese has denied saying that deaths are inevitable in Italian football.

The former FIGC President allegedly made the astonishing comments in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper yesterday, in which he added that matches should be resumed with immediate effect after the death of police officer Filippo Raciti on Friday.

Matarrese’s ‘show must go on’ stance was widely condemned, especially by members of the Italian Olympic Committee and the Italian Government.

But the Bari official has insisted he was misinterpreted after releasing an official statement distancing himself from the quotes.

"That statement does not belong to me," said Matarrese. "I have read what I allegedly said and I understand the bewilderment and indignation it caused.

"If I had really made those statements and those words belonged to me, the reactions should have been even more furious," continued the note.

"However, if you listen carefully to the radio interview to Radio Capital, you can clearly see that I only meant to highlight the fact that we have had many deaths due to violence in football.

"I never thought that these should be justified or that we should accept them with resignation.

"Instead, football clubs intend to fight all forms of violence – inside and outside the stadiums," concluded Matarrese.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi had described the alleged comments as pure insanity.

Source: C4 Football Italia