Torino striker Fabio Quagliarella insists that his refusal to celebrate against former side Napoli was not an apology, though now hopes to rebuild relations with Partenopei fans.
The Italian tucked away a penalty in his side’s 2-1 defeat midweek at the Stadio San Paolo, refusing to celebrate his goal, an act which some fans interpreted as a request for forgiveness.
“Naples is my city,” Quagliarella wrote on his Facebook page. “Though not just my own fault, my rapport with the Azzurri fans has deteriorated and I feel a sense of hostility every time that I return home.
“Faced by a crowd who once again insulted me and my family, after a goal that I had been waiting for quite some time, the adrenaline led me to a gesture that evidently was not clear enough.
“I did not apologise to the Napoli fans for having scored the penalty: absolutely not, I wouldn’t dream of it!
“At that very moment I just wanted to say ‘enough hostility, let’s end this once and for all’, I am a professional and as such, I do my duty, I have nothing against you.
“If I gave a different impression, then I apologise. I apologise to the Torino fans because I am proud to wear their shirt and I am eternally grateful to Torino, because at the age of 14 the club helped me grow as a man and as a player.
“Everyone knows that over the past few years I have chosen not to celebrate the majority of goals scored against my former teams.
“Rightly, Toro fans remember that in October 2008 I celebrated my brace against Toro for Udinese. I was wrong and precisely at that moment I realised that celebrating a goal against a club and fans who gave you everything hurts twice as much.
“I would like everyone to understand my rationale. Anyone who knows me knows how much I dislike to involve my emotions, but if I sent out a bad image of myself, then this is time to do it. A man, when he’s wrong, should never be afraid to apologise.
“Those who care about Toro know that this is a very important time for us: we lost on the road and now we want to pick ourselves up.
“Even if we remain united it may not be easy, but it will certainly be less difficult. My commitment will never end: but words do not count, I will have to prove it on the pitch.
“Hugs to all, Sempre Forza Toro.”
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com