Napoli director Meruso gave an interview to DAZN after the match against Inter Milan and was harshly criticized for the referee's decision during the match. He believes that the referee's poor decision directly affected the outcome of the game, which ultimately led to the heavy defeat of Napoli. "The referee did a very bad job at the crucial moments, which led to unfair treatment for our team," said Meruso.
Before the first goal, Inter had clearly committed a foul before the goal, and should have blown for a foul even without VAR intervention. He emphasised the impact of referee mistakes on the outcome of the game and noted that referees should do better when it mattered most. Meruso also referred to Inter's foul on Osimhen, which he considered to be a clear penalty foul and VAR did not intervene.
He said: "Inter fouled Osimhen and obviously should have awarded a penalty, but why didn't VAR intervene?'It was a very obvious foul and the referee didn't even look at it. These mistakes are very crucial for us in the game against great teams. Meruso emphasised that the referees should make the right decisions at crucial moments, and that the poor decisions in this match had a huge impact on the outcome of the match.
In addition, Meruso also expressed his disappointment with the referee, saying that the team put all their energy, especially in the first half, with the help of Mazzari to regain the lost balance. He also mentioned how sorry the team was for the referee's poor decision against Inter, saying: "The referee's bad decision tonight had a huge impact on the game and he could have done better in the crucial moments.
Overall, Meruso was harshly critical of the referee's decision in the match and said the team was very sorry for the defeat. He called on the referee to make the right decision at the critical moment, believing that the referee's mistake had a huge impact on the outcome of the game, and it was not only a harm to the team, but also a fair impact on the fans and the game as a whole.