FURIOUS INTER MILAN coach Roberto Mancini blasted Napoli counterpart Maurizio Sarri a “racist” and claimed his rival called him a “poof” following a fiery finish to Inter’s 2-0 Italian Cup victory on Tuesday.

Mancini and Sarri clashed on the touchline after Adem Ljajic killed off the quarter-final tie at the San Paolo stadium in Naples in injury time to add to Stevan Jovetic’s opener.

“Maurizio Sarri is a racist and men like him have no place in football,” fumed Mancini to RAI TV after the game.

He used racist words. He started insulting me and then shouted at me, calling me a poof.

Mancini said Sarri had used the words “frocio” and “finocchio”, both pejorative terms meaning homosexual.

The Inter coach added: “But if he’s a man then I’d be proud to be a poof. From someone like him, who’s 60, I can’t accept that, he should be ashamed.

“You have the right to argue, but not like that. I went to see him in the changing rooms and he apologised.

But I told him that in England, he wouldn’t be allowed to set foot on a pitch again.

Sarre brushed off the exchange as part and parcel of the game.

“I’ve seen and heard worse on a pitch,” he said.

“I hope that in the cold light of day, Mancini will also change his point of view.

In my words, there was no form of discrimination, I have nothing against homosexuals.

“The adrenalin of the pitch can push you to make bad jokes, but the arguments should finish at the end of the 90 minutes.

“I’ve apologised to Mancini, for me everything’s ok.”

During the match, Inter had brushed off their poor league form to storm into the Cup semi-finals.

© – AFP 2016

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