Lecce’s president, Saverio Sticchi Damiani, expressed his frustration when VAR disallowed his team’s last-minute goal against AC Milan, resulting in a 2-2 draw. The potential historic victory for Lecce was dashed as Roberto Piccoli’s late goal was nullified after a VAR review, forcing them to settle for a share of points with AC Milan.
Despite falling behind 2-0 in the first half to goals from Olivier Giroud and Tijjani Reijnders, Lecce staged a remarkable comeback with Nicola Sansone and Lameck Banda scoring by the 70th minute.
In the aftermath of the match, Damiani vented his displeasure, criticizing the use of VAR, stating, “A fairy tale that we had built with so much effort ruined by a use of VAR that is becoming diabolical.” He argued that the meticulous scrutiny of such incidents should apply uniformly to all teams, and he emphasized that no AC Milan player had complained about the goal.
Damiani expressed concerns about the potential impact on Lecce’s future matches, suggesting that the team might be scrutinized more closely by VAR. He stressed the club’s commitment to playing football for passion rather than business and lamented the risk of compromising the beauty of the sport.
Looking ahead, Roberto D’Aversa’s team, buoyed by their impressive performance against Milan, is set to face Verona in Serie A on November 27.
