Lega Calcio: Inter coach plays down Totti furor

Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini has refused to allow a bitter war of words with Italian league title rivals AS Roma overshadow his team’s push toward another Scudetto.

Inter, the defending champions, have a four-point lead over Roma with five games left, but the build-up to this weekend’s trip to Torino has been shunted down page following Mancini’s outburst over Roma talisman Francesco Totti. Mancini claimed that officials are “scared” to red card the striker, a belief sparked by seeing Totti only booked for allegedly swearing at the referee in last week’s 3-1 win over Udinese.

The Inter coach insisted that Totti should have walked, but on Thursday he was trying to defuse the row.

“I was asked a question and I responded politely without wanting to offend anyone or cause a problem,” the Inter boss said.

Inter go to Turin still without star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic whose knee injury has kept him out since March 29, while his team saw their once seemingly impregnable 11-point lead being whittled away. The 15-goal striker is set to miss the visit of Cagliari on April 27, while the 26-year-old could also be a doubt for the Milan derby on May 4.

Inter saw off Champions League hopefuls Fiorentina last week, with Esteban Cambiasso and Mario Balotelli on target in a 2-0 win, while French skipper Patrick Vieira dominated midfield.

However, Vieira misses tomorrow’s game through suspension. Torino will have a new coach after Walter Novellino was sacked to be replaced with Gianni De Biasi, who arrives from Spain’s Levante.

Torino have only managed six wins this season in Serie A and are perched just four points above the drop zone following a run of five defeats in six games.

Roma will be able to cut the gap to one point, for 24 hours at least, when they welcome rock-bottom Livorno to the Stadio Olimpico today. Coach Luciano Spalletti has placed the pressure back on Inter by insisting the title is the champions’ to lose.

“The championship is still open with regard to what Inter manage to do,” Spalletti said.

Roma beat Catania 1-0 in midweek in the Italian Cup semi-final, where several first-choice players were rested.

Alberto Aquilani and Matteo Ferrari are still sidelined, but Totti, who scored in the cup tie, is back to full fitness after his performance against Udinese ended a three-week stint on the sidelines.

Third-placed Juventus kept up their push for a Champions League place with a 3-0 win over Parma in midweek and they go to Atalanta protected by an eight-point gap on fourth-placed Fiorentina. AC Milan are fifth, four points behind Fiorentina, and are home to Reggina.