Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte says he ‘reacted to insults in the wrong way’ and apologises for giving Juventus chief Andrea Agnelli the finger during Coppa Italia semi-final showdown
- The former friends were involved in a angry exchange on Tuesday evening
- Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte flipped his middle finger up at Andrea Agnelli
- Agnelli appeared to yell expletives back at him after the final whistle was blown
- Conte has publicly apologised saying he reacted to insults ‘in the wrong way’
Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte has apologised for his part in an X-rated exchange with Juventus chief Andrea Agnelli, during a Coppa Italia semi-final showdown.
The pair clashed during the match on Tuesday, which ended in a 0-0 draw which sent Juventus to the final, winning 2-1 on aggregate.
Conte, who played for and later coached Juventus, appeared to stick his middle finger up towards Agnelli at half-time.
Antonio Conte was seen gesticulating to Juventus chief Andrea Agnelli in the Coppa Italia
Agnelli got into a heated exchange with his former employee telling Conte to ‘f*** off’
The Italian football federation, have launched an investigation into the incident and Conte has admitted he was wrong to react in the way he did.
During his pre-match conference before Inter play Lazio on Sunday, he told reporters: ‘I think it is right to clarify the episode that happened in the Juventus stadium. Everyone has seen and heard the truth, this is important to me.
‘We can be footballers, coaches or presidents, but we are educational role models and we need to remember that.
‘I’m here to apologise, I reacted to insults in the wrong way. I could have done it in another way, perhaps by raising my thumb instead of my middle finger.
‘Insults are not a mitigating factor. However, I should have behaved differently.’
Conte achieved great things while managing Juventus, guiding them to the Serie A title in all three of his seasons at the Bianconeri.
Agnelli and Conte during better times when the latter coached Juventus to three straight titles
However their relationship reportedly broke down in the middle of the 2014, when Conte resigned just one day into pre-season.
After the showdown on Tuesday, Agnelli was seen at the end of the game vehemently shouting in the direction of Conte, saying ‘f*** off, shut up you a***hole’.
Conte went on to manage Chelsea, where he won the Premier League, before returning to his homeland and taking charge of Inter Milan, who are currently second in the league, one place ahead of reigning champions Juventus.
Conte has apologised for his actions ahead of his side’s Serie A clash against Lazio on Sunday