Juventus president: We wanted Sarri and we took Sarri; Conte is a symbol of Juve

Published on: 24 February 2020

Juventus President Andrea Agnelli picked Maurizio Sarri, finds it “fascinating” to see Antonio Conte at Inter and agrees that “public health” comes before football.

After a controversial weekend where four Serie A matches were postponed and therefore leave Inter six points behind the Old Lady in the table, has been followed by a discussion in the Italian government about postponing the upcoming fixtures.

FIGC has written a letter to the government, asking to play the matches behind closed doors and the Juventus President concurs.

“I believe that the priority for the system of the country must be the public health,” he told Radio24. “Starting from this assumption, there’s a dialogue with the various stakeholders, but every decision must be taken to protect the public health.

“Interruption of the sports system is difficult; the schedule is extremely clogged due to previous decisions and it’s difficult to reschedule a match.

“Then, if this is decided, we will adapt.”

This could lead to Juventus-Inter being played behind closed doors and the patron said he’s “sorry” about it, but he understands the “priority” must be the health of the people.

“Organising a match like Juve-Inter in a different stadium is extremely complicated,” he added. “I’m sorry about the show itself, because the Italian championship is affected because of a historic game of football. But the priority is the public health.

“But remember that the legal decision in Piemonte lasts until Saturday, so today the public at the Allianz Stadium are expected to be there.”

The former Juventus star and three-time Scudetto winner as a coach for the Bianconeri, Antonio Conte, is now the coach of the rivals Inter and President Agnelli revealed he found it “fascinating”.

“We wanted Maurizio Sarri and we took Sarri,” Agnelli said. “Conte is a symbol of Juventus; he has won multiple Scudetti and the Champions League.

“Conte is Juventus from this point of view. We have a peaceful relationship with him, but we are professional.

“That he took on the challenge of bringing ambitious Inter back to the winners’ circle, rubbing heads with [Inter President] Steven Zhang, who is a person I know and respect, is something that fascinates me.

Lazio are currently one point behind Juventus in Serie A and five points above Inter, who now have a game in hand.

Agnelli admits that the Biancoceleste are a threat to the Old Lady and said they are boosted by not being “obliged to win”.

“You have to fear the carefree,” he added. “They don’t have any obligations to win. That’s their advantage. But it could also be an enemy if two or three defeats arrived and you remain satisfied with qualifying for the Champions League.

“Compared to Inter, they have a different philosophy, with two squads that are hardly comparable. Inter aren’t as light-hearted, because Conte has taken on the obligation to win.”

Source: m.allfootballapp.com

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more