Lazio have strongly hit back at Jose Mourinho after the Roma boss criticised officials for allowing their late winner against Spezia.
Mourinho is coming to the end of his first season in charge at the Italian giants where despite being Serie A’s biggest spenders, his side will miss out on the top four. With three games remaining, the Giallorossi are ten points behind fourth placed Juventus and are now in a battle with Lazio for a spot in the Europa League.
Roma were leapfrogged by the Biancoceleste on Saturday after their thrilling 4-3 victory away at Spezia. Lazio came from behind to earn three points, with Franceso Acerbi scoring a controversial last-minute winner.
It was touch and go whether Acerbi had strayed offside, but VAR allowed the goal sparking wild scenes of celebration. And after Roma could only manage a 0-0 draw with Bologna 24 hours later, Mourinho looked to deploy his famous mind games by reverting attention back to their rival’s controversial late goal.
“I’ve been coaching 22 years and everything stays the same,” he said. “A lot of things change in football, but you [the media] don’t. After each game there are questions and comments, in 22 years that’s one of the few things that haven’t changed.
“Another thing that hasn’t changed is that 22 years ago you could have won a game with an offside goal and 22 years later you can still win with an offside goal. Yesterday a team won with a goal that was offside. Think about it.”
Following his comments, Lazio have issued a lengthy and passionate official statement, claiming individuals have them ‘obsessively’ in their thoughts. While not explicitly naming Mourinho, there is little doubt he initiated the response.
The statement reads: “The fact that in 2022 a coach of another team, during his press conferences, repeatedly refers to presumed referee favours to competing teams and that, at the same time, some national sports journalists, of declared footballing faith, are fervent about the same argument, forgetting their professional role and the duty of impartiality, demonstrates some things
“Lazio is obsessively in their thoughts more than other coveted professional goals; that, as often happens, one looks into other people's homes to divert attention from missed results and sensational episodes that have occurred in one's own home, in one's favour, under the eyes of all; that despite the need to evolve the image of football in Italy, some players are stuck with the constant repetition of the accusations against the referees and the VAR
“These offensive attitudes towards the referee category and the lack of journalistic objectivity are too often overlooked.
It continues: “The Lazio Sports Society rejects the criticisms and insinuations to senders, it continues to believe that values are demonstrated on the pitch and not in the television salons. Lazio will never lend itself to being anyone's alibi or scapegoat and will assert its reasons in the appropriate forums.
“The Company's line continues to be that of not discussing the decisions taken on the pitch, even when it comes to obvious episodes that occurred to the detriment of the Biancoceleste team, such as Tonali's foul on Acerbi in Lazio-Milan on the occasion of the goal or the elbow in Ibanez area on Milinkovic in the return derby, just to name two even if we have many others, also in Spezia-Lazio.
“Decisive episodes on which we have chosen silence out of respect for the referees on the field and the VAR, respect that others have not shown and continue not to demonstrate."
