It didn't take long before the images were circulating all over social networks and the Italian press was generating a lot of ink. After tensions with Paulo Fonseca during the match against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League earlier in the season, Milan captain Davide Calabria had a brief but very heated confrontation with coach Sergio Conceição at the end of the match won against Parma on the 22nd day of Serie A. The Rossoneri reversed the score from 1-2 to 3-2 in added time thanks to goals from Reijnders and Chukwueze, but the match was eventful with plenty of episodes and controversial moments. The Milanese fans present at San Siro did not stop openly protesting against the club, Theo Hernandez, and Rafael Leão, replaced at half-time. But these are not the only tactical decisions.
In the 78th minute, Sergio Conceição decided to bring out defender and captain Davide Calabria to bring in new blood in attack with Luka Jovic. Furious and frustrated, the 28-year-old Italian international started screaming, hitting everything he found, even throwing bottles. At the final whistle, an argument broke out between the coach and the player. Indeed, in the images, we see the tactician running in search of his player to come to blows, before being separated by players and members of the staff. The situation was calmed and managed but the two men almost came to blows in front of all the supporters and the cameras at San Siro. A mind-blowing scene which is already making the rounds on the networks and the Italian press and which, without any real surprise, was the main subject discussed in the mixed zone and at the press conference.
Everyone reacted to the altercation!
A few minutes after the final whistle, the altercation was quickly on everyone's lips in Italy. The Portuguese coach initially apologized: “you know, sometimes with the adrenaline in the match, you live this sport with passion… These are things that happen often with me. It was a situation in the match. That's how it happened. Like with children: when you go to a restaurant if there is incorrect behavior, you have to say something, otherwise it's not good, I'm like that, maybe there were some rude words. too much but that's not a problem. They are still protected by me. They know we create an important bond and we saw it today with the way we won, it was no longer about strategy but about spirit. There is no hypocrisy: we say things to each other like men. It's true, it wasn't nice, but that's okay in football, we're not in church. I'm nervous every day. I have nothing against Théo and Leao either, both will play in Zagreb, I already say that. Everything is going well for them, it's the coach's choices“, explained the former FC Porto tactician. The dispute between Calabria and Conceição also captured the minds of the Milan locker room.
“I wasn't with them, but I'm sure everything is fine. These are things that happen in football. I'm sure it was a misunderstanding, and I'm sure that tomorrow morning in Milanello we will all work together to give the best of ourselves“, put Strahinja Pavlović into perspective. As for the Italian captain, Davide Calabria, he immediately wanted to bury the hatchet with his coach: “These are things on the pitch, it was a misunderstanding between me and the coach, it was the adrenaline of the match but we clarified. We've sorted things out, it's neither the first nor the last time you're going to see something like this in football. It makes me laugh now that I see the photos. I apologize because this is not a good thing“, he said. Mea culpa therefore on both sides and the main thing is done for the Rossoneri who pocketed three precious points in their mission to climb the rankings.