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Maurizio Sarri says he intended to call Mancini a 'poser,' not a homophobic slur

Reuters

Embattled Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri says he did not intend to use a homophobic slur toward Inter boss Roberto Mancini, which earned Sarri a two-game Coppa Italia ban and a fine.

Sarri said he was actually trying to mock Mancini's style choices, as Sarri himself often sports track pants on the sidelines.

"I wanted to poke fun at the way he is always dressed so elegantly on the side of the pitch as if he's going to an official function," Sarri told Chi magazine, as quoted by ESPNFC's Ben Gladwell. "I wanted to call him a 'poser,' not that thing about sex!"

Sarri did formally apologise for his choice of words, and reiterated he is not homophobic.

"I just think of my best friend who was gay - he was a Florentine antique seller who died way too young, and I still miss him a lot," Sarri said. "He would be outraged to hear me accused of homophobia. There have been, there are and there will be gay people in football. I hope that this whole issue, which started badly but ended well, will help them to come out.

"At least at Napoli they wouldn't have any problems. The compactness of our group would never be endangered by the players' private lives."

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