Udinese director Federico Balzaretti was incensed following their defeat to Genoa: “Lucca’s goal should never have been disallowed.” The defeat leaves the Friulian club perilously close to the relegation zone, just three points clear of 18th place. Speaking with Sky Sport Balzaretti explained his anger at the refereeing decisions and a disallowed goal, which he felt should have been awarded:
“I wanted to review the episode of Lucca’s goal. It should never have been disallowed. We’re not questioning the result, but the player comes into contact with De Winter; it’s a clash. If this is considered a goal to be disallowed, playing football becomes really complicated. They go together for the same ball, the ball takes a turn from Lucca’s foot. It becomes really difficult; it’s a game clash! He takes the ball! Then clearly, it has nothing to do with Genoa. I defend my club; this is never a foul. There are five hundred contacts per game, enough!”
Still, on the disallowed goal, “Let the players play; you can’t intervene for everything, let the referees referee quietly. It’s not possible, and I reiterate that we’re not talking about the result. I said it even as a pundit: you can’t play anymore; it has become indoor football, and it’s not good. They laugh at us in England and elsewhere. How can Lucca score with the defender defending? Luckily, I played fifteen years ago.”
Finally, on Udinese’s performance, “We approached well; until Lucca’s crossbar, we responded blow for blow. Then, as often happens, we suffer a bit, but we have to start again from the character and the spirit of the team after the numerical inferiority. To survive, we need unity and compactness. The next game is crucial, against Salernitana; we can’t afford to make mistakes; details make the difference. We need a level of concentration and competitiveness even higher. We have an important week ahead. We absolutely need to react.”
