Coach Maurizio Sarri on Sunday slammed the revamped Italian Super Cup as purely a money-maker as his Lazio team prepares to depart for a tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Lazio will face Inter Milan in the second semi-final on Thursday at the KSU Stadium in Riyadh. For the first time, the Super Cup will be contested by four teams.
Napoli kick off the competition on Wednesday against Fiorentina at the same stadium.
“Everyone knows what I think. This tournament has nothing to do with sport. We just get paid and run,” Sarri said.
“We travel the world with our hats in hand… With all the problems that come with an overcrowded fixture list, we have decided to stage a four-team Super Cup.”
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Prior to this season, the Super Cup featured Serie A champions and Italian Cup winners, with Inter Milan defeating AC Milan in the Saudi capital in January last year.
This season, the top two players from last season’s Italian top league and two cup finalists will participate, similar to the changes made to the Spanish Super Cup, which is also held in Saudi Arabia.
Lazio finished second behind champions Napoli in June, and Sarri’s side beat Lecce 1-0 on Sunday to move into fifth place in Serie A.
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Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports in recent years, with the Gulf state’s professional league poaching big names from major European leagues thanks to support from the country’s sovereign wealth fund.
But Saudi Arabia has been accused of using major events to “sport away” its human rights record.
TD/DJ
