Genoa-Napoli: Postgame Chaos Leads to Suspension: “Aggressive Behavior”

The match between Genoa and Napoli certainly didn’t end on Saturday when the final whistle blew. The game had already left a heavy aftermath, with De Bruyne’s goal contested by the Rossoblù due to the disputed contact with Vasquez, and on Tuesday came the suspension for Diego Lopez, Genoa’s Chief of Football, who has been suspended through September 8 for his actions following the match.

As reported in the Serie A League statement, Lopez was suspended “for having, at the end of the match, having entered the field of play without authorization—as he was not listed on the match roster—repeatedly contested a referee’s decision, adopted an aggressive attitude, continued these protests in the locker room, and prevented the referee from closing the door to his locker room for a few moments.”

Lopez had also directed fiery remarks at referee Di Bello during interviews in the mixed zone: “All of Italy saw what happened; this referee was in charge of VAR last year in the match against Napoli, and we were already concerned.” Genoa, which had kept the score at 0-0 right up until the controversial incident, then conceded another goal just before the 90th minute, with Vergara scoring to make it 2-0.