Juventus coach Spalletti and Cagliari’s Pisacane hit with 1-match bans after heated clash

MILAN (AP) — Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti and Cagliari counterpart Fabio Pisacane were handed one-match bans Tuesday following their altercation at the end of Sunday’s match.

Spalletti will miss this weekend’s home game against Lazio, while Pisacane will sit out Monday’s trip to Monza.

Cagliari held Juventus to a 1-1 draw on Sunday and both coaches were shown a straight red card after a heated face-off after the match.

When the final whistle was blown, the two coaches approached each other for the usual post-match greetings, but the handshake was far from friendly.

Spalletti held Pisacane’s hand firmly, while the Cagliari coach grasped Spalletti’s other arm and heated words were exchanged before they were separated.

“Nothing happened really,” Spalletti said after the match. “I paid him a compliment: “Well done, you’re good at wasting a bit of time, too.

“He said to me, ‘What time?’ We stood there like that for a moment, but nothing happened, no harm was done.”

The Italian league’s judge said that Spalletti was handed the ban for having “adopted a provocative attitude towards the opposing team’s coach, creating a moment of tension between the members of the two benches.”

Pisacane was suspended for having “reacted to the opposing team’s coach’s provocative behavior, fueling a moment of tension between the members of the two benches.”

Meanwhile, Roma forward Donyell Malen was given a one-match ban after a straight red card in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Como.

Serie A’s leading scorer escaped a two-game suspension because his “serious foul” on Como defender Kaiki wasn’t deemed violent conduct, but rather a genuine attempt to win the ball back.

Malen, who has scored six goals in as many league matches this season, will miss Saturday’s match at home against Genoa.

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