Napoli manager accused of homophobia, uses ‘I have gay friends’ defense

Inter boss Roberto Mancini says Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri shouted gay slurs at him during the Coppa Italia match between the two teams, and called him a racist for good measure. “I got up to ask about the five minutes of injury time and he yelled ‘f****t’,” Mancini said. “The fourth official heard everything, but didn’t say a word, and I was sent off.”

Sarri claimed he didn’t remember exactly what he said. “I was not discriminating against anyone,” said Sarri. “If I did indeed use those words, then I apologize to the gay community.”

Later, Sarri went on TV to defend himself and said that he can’t be homophobic because he has gay friends. It looks likely that Sarri will get a two-match ban for his comments.

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