Mourinho’s assistant banned for insulting referee

Roma’s assistant coach Salvatore Foti was banned until the end of the month on Friday after being sent off during his team’s Italian Cup exit at the hands of Serie A’s bottom team Cremonese.

Foti was sent off with 11 minutes remaining of Wednesday’s quarter-final defeat and on Friday Serie A announced the ban for a raft of offences committed by Jose Mourinho’s Italian assistant.

In a statement, Serie A said that Foti had been banned until February 28 for “repeatedly insulting the referee” Michael Fabbri, “threatening a director of the opposing team” after Cremonese scored their first-half opener and “repeated blasphemy” after being red-carded.

Foti was also sanctioned for hanging around Fabbri’s dressing room after the match and threatening the 39-year-old official.

Cremonese are yet to win a league game in their first Serie A season since 1996 but will face Fiorentina in April’s two-legged semi-finals after beating Roma 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico.

Foti will miss four Serie A matches following the ban, including Roma’s trip to Cremonese at the end of the month.

AFP

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