Antonio Conte, Simone Inzaghi, and three other coaches from the Italian league have been handed bans ahead of the final round of the season.
The last day of Serie A is packed with excitement and anticipation as Napoli and Inter Milan gear up for their crucial matches, eyes firmly on the trophy. But just before this decisive day, both teams received a major blow — neither will have their head coach on the sidelines.
Napoli’s Antonio Conte and Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi have both been suspended for the final round. The tension and emotions ran so high in last Sunday’s penultimate fixtures that three more coaches also lost their cool and now face bans. In total, five coaches will be absent from the dugouts in the season’s final matches.
Napoli tops the table with 79 points, closely followed by Inter at 78. In the last round on Saturday, Napoli will face 14th-placed Cagliari, while Inter will take on 10th-placed Como.
The following Saturday, Inzaghi’s Inter will clash with PSG in the Champions League final.
Inzaghi received his suspension after an intense incident during the previous round against Lazio. Inter came close to victory, but late in the game, a penalty was reviewed by VAR. On the touchline, Inzaghi confronted Lazio’s coach Marco Baroni, leading to a heated exchange of words. Both coaches were shown red cards by the referee.
Lazio was awarded a penalty for handball, which they converted in stoppage time to draw 2-2. Both coaches had to watch the final moments from the stands.
On the same day, Napoli played a goalless draw against Parma, who are fighting relegation. Near the end, Napoli’s Conte got involved in a verbal spat with Parma coach Cristian Kivu on the touchline, resulting in both receiving red cards.
If Napoli and Inter end the season level on points, the title will be decided by a playoff — and both coaches will be allowed back on the sidelines for that match.
Another coach facing suspension is AC Milan’s Sergio Conceição. He was sent off late in the game after Milan’s 3-1 loss to Roma. Milan sits ninth in the standings and will play their final match without him. With doubts over his future at the club, this might be his last game in charge.
