Alessandro Lucarelli isn’t having it: “We were even playing against the referee.”

There was no shortage of controversy at the end of the Serie C Coppa Italia match between Spezia and Livorno, which ended with a 2-1 victory for the Ligurian team, securing their spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals. After the game, Alessandro Lucarelli, sporting director of the Amaranto club, expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of the referee, Colaninno of Nola, contesting several officiating decisions that, in his opinion, penalized the Livorno team.

“We ended up playing against the referee as well, and that makes it very difficult,” reads a report on Amaranta.it. “Spezia is an excellent team, but the referee failed to manage the game, and on their goals—in 50-50 situations—he consistently ruled in their favor. In my opinion, the team played very well, and it’s a shame to be eliminated from this competition not only because of our own shortcomings.”

For Lucarelli, his career as a club executive began after he retired from playing soccer. In December 2019, the former defender earned his sports director diploma at Coverciano upon completing the course organized by the FIGC, which began on September 16 and consisted of 144 hours of instruction with instructors from various sectors of Italian soccer. Among the graduates of that class were well-known names such as Antonio Cassano, Sergio Pellissier, and Christian Puggioni.