Atalanta’s head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, has addressed the recent controversy surrounding his comments about forward Ademola Lookman’s missed penalty during their UEFA Champions League match against Club Brugge.
In a press conference held on Saturday, Gasperini clarified that his remarks were not intended to offend the Nigerian international.
The incident in question occurred during Atalanta’s 3-1 defeat to Club Brugge, which led to their elimination from the Champions League with a 5-2 aggregate score.
Lookman, who had scored early in the second half, later missed a penalty. Post-match, Gasperini criticized Lookman’s decision to take the penalty, stating he was not the designated taker and labeling him “one of the worst penalty takers” he had seen.
In response, Lookman expressed that he felt “deeply disrespected” by Gasperini’s comments, emphasizing his commitment to the team and clarifying that he took the penalty upon the designated taker’s instruction.
Addressing the media on Saturday, Gasperini stated, “My remarks were not meant to be offensive.” He compared the situation to a similar incident in another match where a non-designated player successfully took a penalty.
“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 can become a penalty taker, that would be an additional goal-scoring ability… I always speak in front of the whole team, it has never touched the club. He felt offended, I didn’t want to offend anyone.”
As Atalanta prepares to face Empoli in their upcoming Serie A fixture, currently sitting third in the league, the focus shifts back to domestic competition.
