Italian defender sent off for making hand gesture with dark meaning

The officials did not see the funny side.

Chievo defender Fabrizio Cacciatore was sent off for a controversial gesture aimed at the match officials in yesterday's clash with Juventus. It was Chievo's second red card of the game, after Samuel Bastien was sent off in the 37th minute. Cacciatore was pushed by Juve midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah in the box and had to receive medical assistance. The referee forced the defender to leave the pitch despite the player's protests as he did not want his team to be reduced to nine men., which seems strange given what he did next. The defender made matters worse and was sent for an early bath after he made a hand-cuff gesture which is known to suggest match-fixing. Italy is no stranger to match fixing after the Calciopoli scandal tainted the country's game in 2006. José Mourinho was once fined £35,000 for the same gesture during his spell as Inter Milan manager. https://twitter.com/TransfersCalcio/status/957360105623900160 Chievo then had to endure the remaining half an hour with nine men. Juventus took full advantage of the two man advantage by scoring two goals to take them above Napoli at the top of the table. Cacciatore issued a statement on Instagram regarding his dismissal for the accusatory gesture. He said:

"I apologise publicly for the gesture I made, it was an enormous error. "I apologise to my teammates, the Coach, the club, our fans and all lovers of football. It was certainly wrong, something that shouldn't be done, an example that a professional should not set. "I'm sorry that I left my teammates in a difficult situation, as they were fighting hard from the first to the last minute... "It was an impulsive letting out of steam and, as is only right, I paid a heavy price for it... SORRY."

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