AC Milan's Italian Cup semi-final
second leg against Lazio at the San Siro will be "an
advertisement for Italian soccer", Rossoneri coach Gennaro
Gattuso said Tuesday.
Milan won a fiery Serie A clash at San Siro 1-0 two weeks ago
when the win was overshadowed by two Milan players holding up a
Lazio player's shirt to fans like a trophy.
The first leg of the semi, at the Olimpico in February,
finished 0-0.
Gattuso said "there were a lot of polemics two weeks ago" but
the team should put them behind it.
"Me must be smart," he said.
"It's an advert for Italian soccer and we must make sure
we're ready, but with good manner and respect".
"We must only think of matters on the field of play, leaving
all the rest aside".
He said he had been friends of Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi
"for years". "We will do out all to behave well, we'll say hello
before the match and let the best man win".
Last week Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) prosecutors have
opened a probe in the way two AC Milan players used a shirt
given to them by Lazio's Francesco Acerbi as a sort
of trophy after their 1-0 league win over the Rome side at the
San Siro.
The development came after Serie A's sporting judge said it
would not be taking action against Milan's Tiemoue Bakayoko and
Franck Kessie.
Acerbi had irked Milan players by saying he thought Lazio
were the better side in the run-up to the match.
After a bad tempered finale to the game, Acerbi said he
agreed to swap shirts to put an end to the row.
But the defender then expressed astonishment when he saw
Bakayoko and Kessie had paraded the shirt before Milan fans
afterwards.
The gesture was widely criticised.
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