“It will make a very good scenario for the next Netflix series”… At the end of the draw between France and Italy (13-13), Sunday in Lille, the transalpine fullback Ange Capuozzo returned to this penalty on the post which deprives his team of a historic victory. A kick which generated the start of controversy over the position of certain French players, who were not 10 m away, moved and attempted charges twice, and were able to hamper the Italian striker Paolo Garbisi.
The coach of the Squadra Azzurra, Gonzalo Quesada, like Ange Capuozzo, preferred to close the subject, just speaking of “frustration” quickly overcome by the satisfaction of having hooked the Blues. “I didn’t see it at the time, but I heard the staff complaining,” explains Quesada. We are very frustrated, but there is nothing we can do anyway if this is the case. » “We’re not going to look that far,” Ange Capuozzo evacuates.
“It’s not a beautiful image that we send back”
On the other hand, the Franco-Italian fullback from Stade Toulousain wanted to come back to the attitude of the French public on this match, which tickled him “a little”. “The whistles from the public were recurring during the match,” regrets the author of the Italian essay. I am French too, I was born in Grenoble, and I want to say that it is not a beautiful image that we project. It’s not common in the Six Nations, when you travel to the other stadiums. To experience it on the ground, it’s not cool.” If whistles are now quite common in the Top 14, they are indeed rarer in international matches.
Especially since “the whistles were quite pronounced, it wasn’t just a few,” regrets Ange Capuozzo. “I think it’s important to say it,” he insists. We are in a big competition. The image that France must project in this regard must be a mark of respect. I will speak as Italian now. We are considered the smallest team, we showed a lot of courage. We could have been a little more respected during these moments. »