Benítez: "The score was wrong, the result was affected"
Refereeing decisions cost Napoli dear
Napoli had to settle for just a point after a late Duván Zapata goal gave them a 1-1 draw with Atalanta in Serie A, but head coach Rafa Benítez hit out at a number of decisions by the match officials in the fixture. The result is a blow to the Azzurri's league campaign and Benítez says it's left him "with a very bitter taste in my mouth".
Before Atalanta went in front referee Giampaolo Calvarese ignored a clear foul on Henrique by Pinilla and the Napoli coach told the press conference afterwards that it was difficult to understand "perhaps if there were eight referees on the pitch today they would have seen what happened . I have no explanation for some of the things that have happened to us today.” Benítez says it should have been an easy call to make "It's obvious the goal should not have been allowed and everyone around the world will have been able to see that on television. I can't explain it because the foul was very clear to see". Benítez sarcastically called for more officials to be involved in fixtures "it was difficult for the six referees who were present to see, so I repeat my proposal: I hope the next time we have eight referees or more and maybe we can then get some more accurate and fairer decisions".
Benítez was not keen to analyse the the draw with Atalanta any further or how it affects their progress in Serie A "We have not won, that's true. There are now ten matches to go until the end of the league campaign but we do not want to talk about where we are in the table.” But he says the key decision that didn't go their way in the game with Atalanta has cost them dear “the foul committed on Henrique has not seen by either the referee or his linesmen, or the assistant or the fourth official.....none of them have seen it, and there were six of them. This basically has to be my comment on the game because that decision, or lack of decision, has affected the result".
When asked about being sent off himself at the end of the match, Benítez said he was disappointed in the decision "in all my sporting life, in over 600 matches I have never had been expelled as a coach. I think it is a misunderstanding and I'm not happy about it".