AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has hit out at the officials for the lack of use of technology after Saturday’s draw against Fiorentina.
The Rossoneri were denied all three points via a controversial refereeing display at the Stadio Artemio Franchi as they drew 1-1.
After Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored but saw his goal debatably ruled out for a handball, Ante Rebic gave Milan the lead with a deflected strike in the second half.
Dalbert was shown a straight red card for a foul on Ibrahimovic which appeared to put Stefano Pioli’s side in position to see out a win, but Erick Pulgar’s penalty inside the first 10 minutes – despite VAR again showing it to be a contentious decision – rescued a draw for the home side.
After the game Pioli spoke to DAZN, and his words were transcribed by MilanNews.
“Our responsibilities are all there, we were in control of the field, we didn’t have to be superficial. The game was not over, we had to continue playing with balance and compactness, there are responsibilities and it’s a shame,” he said.
“The team was good on the field and he deserved to win. The penalty wasn’t one, Romagnoli touched the ball, I don’t understand how technology cannot be used in such a situation.
“From the bench you can see that Romagnoli touches the ball, I took it for granted that the VAR would help the referee to change the situation. It may be that the referee is wrong, but not that the VAR does not correct it. Some games have had weird episodes. There are our mistakes but we can’t do anything about that.”
On game management in numerical superiority, he added: “We had counter-attacks in numerical superiority and did not take advantage. The balance must always be respected, the team felt too confident and made mistakes.
“We lost the balance when the ball was to run, there are situations that must be evaluated, analyzed and improved”.
On his return to Florence: “They have always given me great emotions, both as a player and as a coach, when I get here I am prepared, we have gone through a very particular situation, I am very attached to this environment. I was very pleased to receive such a welcome warm.
“My future? I am always calm, I put all seriousness in my work, I am not thinking about the future and the players are not either. It is not my priority to think about next year, there is still so much to do, we must immediately make up for it in the next game.”
