Massimiliano Allegri has alleged that he was the victim of violence during the Coppa Italia final, with the Juventus head coach claiming “someone from Inter walked past and kicked me".
Inter won their first Coppa Italia title since 2011 on Wednesday night, beating Juve 4-2 after extra time in a thrilling final at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Bianconeri's misery was compounded when Allegri was sent off for an angry outburst in the final moments of the game, but he claims to have been provoked by a member of Inter's staff.
What has Allegri said about his red card?
The Juve boss also challenged his players to channel their frustration over the final result in a positive way, having been pleased with how much effort they put in on the night.
“Someone from Inter walked past and kicked me. I got angry and quite rightly the referee sent me off,” Allegri told Sport Mediaset when quizzed on his red card, which has earned him a one-game touchline ban and a €10,000 fine.
“Finding out what happened changes nothing. We just have to congratulate Inter for winning. We do not win a single trophy this season, we have to retain that anger for next season, when we must get back to winning.
“It was a good performance, but we fell away towards the end, there were players who were not fully fit and did all they could. It’s disappointing, but we can only thank them for their efforts.”
Juve's dismal 2021-22 campaign
Juve are now guaranteed to finish the season without a trophy for the first time since 2010-11 as Allegri's first season back in charge has ultimately proven to be a failure.
The Bianconeri exited the Champions League at the round of 16 stage and they currently sit fourth in Serie A, 11 points behind leaders Milan with two games remaining.
Allegri's side are already guaranteed Champions League qualification with fifth-placed Lazio seven points behind them, but could still seal a third-place finish ahead of Napoli if they win their final two games against Lazio and Fiorentina.