Manna told DAZN Italia.<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cWhere is the foul? The VAR called him on the penalty, why not on this? It\u2019s embarrassing! We try to be really nice and kind, we didn\u2019t complain because incidents can balance themselves out. We had problems in Turin and Verona, we said nothing, but this is embarrassing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here challenging for a place in the Champions League and we see a goal disallowed over nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
SASSUOLO, ITALY \u2013 FEBRUARY 08: Referee Daniele Chiffi during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and FC Internazionale at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on February 08, 2026 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The last week has seen so much controversy over the role of VAR, the protocol for when they can overturn or recommend a review to the referee, and these incidents will only add to those calls for the AIA to make big changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has to be a reflection, because every week a club ends up here protesting about decisions,\u201d continued Manna.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll we want is what is right, what is ours, but this is not right, and it is not football. It\u2019s shameful, I have no more words.\u201d<\/p>\n
NAPLES, ITALY \u2013 FEBRUARY 15: Antonio Conte SSC Napoli head coach during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and AS Roma at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on February 15, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The two incidents involving Hien and Hojlund were arguably very similar, in that not all contact is a penalty, but then how much of a \u2018clear and obvious error\u2019 does it need to be before VAR can step in?<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the penalty, if the referee gives that and then they call him to say there\u2019s not enough contact, then why did VAR not call him for the second one too?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is probably something that only Chiffi saw, there is no VAR check. It is absurd. Incredible. It\u2019s already a tough season for us, we come to Bergamo in this condition, and we see a perfectly good goal disallowed. It\u2019s paradoxical.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only suggestion for that \u2018foul\u2019 might be that Hojlund had hold of Hien\u2019s arm under his elbow and pulled him down, but even then it seems unlikely the referee saw that.<\/p>\n
Another option might be that the linesman recommended the foul to the referee on the touchline, but either way, the VAR check was extraordinarily fast before play resumed.<\/p>\n
CREMONA, ITALY \u2013 DECEMBER 28: Rasmus Hojlund of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring the 0-1 goal during the Serie A match between US Cremonese and SSC Napoli at Stadio Giovanni Zini on December 28, 2025 in Cremona, Italy. (Photo by Marco M. Mantovani\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed from the stands that the ball had gone out of play, because there\u2019s nothing else there. If anything, Hien is hanging off Hojlund.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s nothing there, it\u2019s not about being subjective or objective. We don\u2019t like being made to look like idiots. We work hard, we struggle, and this is not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fact remains that this result completely shakes up the fight for a Champions League spot, because Napoli are now only five points clear of Como and Atalanta in sixth and seventh, and risk being caught by Roma this evening in third.<\/p>\n
\u200bhttps:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/napoli-anger-referee-var-absurd-163500034.html<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Napoli anger at referee and VAR: \u2018It\u2019s absurd and embarrassing\u2019 Napoli director Giovanni Manna lashed out at the \u2018absurd, embarrassing\u2019 decision to disallow a goal…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1163183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1163182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1163182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1163183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1163182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1163182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1163182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}