Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has said he did not mean to offend Ademola Lookman after his controversial comments on the Nigerian’s penalty-taking ability, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Gasperini insisted his post-match criticism following their Champions League exit to Club Brugge was not meant to be offensive.
“It had an extraordinary impact, everything that came afterwards… mine was not meant to be an offensive sentence,” Gasperini said.
The Italian tactician had labelled Lookman “one of the worst penalty takers” he had ever seen after the Nigerian forward missed from the spot in their 3-1 defeat to Brugge, which saw them eliminated 5-2 on aggregate.
The 66-year-old manager attempted to justify his comments by referencing Friday’s Serie A match between Udinese and Lecce, where Lorenzo Lucca scored despite not being the designated penalty taker.
“Yesterday in Udinese-Lecce we had what could have been a drama, luckily there were guys who let it go. I would have liked a strong player like Lookman to have made a gesture towards De Ketelaere saying; ‘Come on keep the ball, put it in,’” he added.
Meanwhile, Cameroon FA president Samuel Eto’o has thrown his support behind the African Footballer of The Year through a heartfelt message on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of the forward with his Europa League medal from last season.
“My young brother, memory in football lasts 90 minutes, the time of a match, and then it’s on to the next,” the former Barcelona striker wrote.
“For us, you are and will always be our champion. Only those who have the courage to take the shot can miss. Thank you for your courage, great champion.”
The controversy erupted after Lookman, who has scored 17 goals this season, had earlier expressed his hurt at being singled out by Gasperini’s comments, describing them as “deeply disrespectful” in a social media post.
The manager’s criticism appeared particularly harsh given Lookman’s contributions this season and his heroics in last season’s Europa League final, where his hat-trick secured Atalanta’s first European trophy in a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite the tension, Gasperini maintained focus on their upcoming Serie A fixture against relegation-threatened Empoli, where third-placed Atalanta will look to maintain their title challenge.
“Empoli come from a streak of difficult results, all the games I’ve seen they’ve performed very well,” he said.
“They are a good team, with a good quality of play, with an excellent coach, who are playing for salvation. I remember the first game, I expect a balanced, difficult match. We only have one goal, we have to do our best.”