Luciano Spalletti’s dismissal after Juventus’ meeting with Cagliari was not simply an isolated end-of-match flashpoint. It belonged to a long-running pattern in a career lived close to the touchline: disputes with fellow coaches, club officials, players and spectators, often arising from the smallest of football rituals.
At the final whistle against Cagliari, Spalletti addressed Fabio Pisacane with a remark about his side being “good even at running down the clock”. The exchange quickly became more heated as the two coaches moved towards one another. Spalletti then threatened to slap his counterpart before both were pulled apart, with red cards shown to each manager.
The incident recalled many previous confrontations involving the Tuscan coach, from the pressure of title races to the more personal tension surrounding a greeting after a match. Handshakes, in particular, have repeatedly carried more weight than their simple formality might suggest.
From Naples to Rome, old frictions revisited
Massimiliano Allegri has been involved in more than one such episode. On 13 January 2023, Spalletti’s Napoli defeated Allegri’s Juventus 5-1 at the Maradona, with Victor Osimhen scoring twice and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Amir Rrahmani and Eljif Elmas also on the scoresheet. Spalletti, who would go on to win the Scudetto with Napoli that season, attempted to greet Allegri after the final whistle. Allegri initially continued towards the tunnel without noticing the outstretched hand, leaving Spalletti following him before the Juventus coach eventually turned and accepted the handshake.
It was a misunderstanding rather than a major row, but their relationship would later become more strained after another Napoli-Juventus match won by the Partenopei. In the area outside the press conference room, Allegri accused Spalletti of trying to influence the referee throughout the game. Staff stepped in as the argument developed, while then-Juventus president Andrea Agnelli was required to calm the situation.
Spalletti later rejected Allegri’s accusation with characteristic irritation. He said he could not tolerate the suggestion that he had created problems with the referee, adding that he had tried to greet Allegri at both the beginning and end of the occasion. He also denied there had been friction during the match and noted that, after so many defeats against Allegri, he had been criticised on one of the occasions when he finally won.
Another tense night at the Maradona arrived on 2 April 2023, when Napoli met Milan. Spalletti said he had been questioning the referee over a booking for Stanislav Lobotka when Paolo Maldini, then Milan’s sporting director, passed by gesturing as though to say that Spalletti was always complaining. The Napoli coach considered the interruption disrespectful.
The matter did not end there. Spalletti then approached Rafael Leao over what he regarded as a provocative celebration following Milan’s goal. Maldini intervened, telling him that he had already won the championship and asking why he was so angry. It was another moment in which a match’s emotional residue travelled beyond the pitch.
Spalletti’s relationship with post-match greetings had already produced an episode in Moscow in 2021. Napoli lost 2-1 to Spartak Moscow, and Spalletti declined to shake hands with Spartak coach Rui Vitoria after the game. He explained that Vitoria had not greeted him before kick-off, arguing that the appropriate moment was at the beginning rather than after victory. Vitoria said Spalletti had been putting on his shoes. Spartak later responded on social media by calling the Italian coach a clown.
At the Olimpico on 1 March 2026, a 3-3 draw between Roma and Juventus also carried its own confrontation. After Wesley scored for Roma, Spalletti entered the field, apparently seeking to speak with his players while Roma celebrated. Evan Ndicka objected to the gesture and the pair exchanged words. The Roma defender later apologised, seemingly having understood the coach’s intention, but Spalletti, visibly annoyed, did not accept it.
A career played at close range
The same edge was evident much earlier in Spalletti’s first spell at Roma. In November 2006, Roma beat Catania 7-0 and a disagreement developed with Catania coach Pasquale Marino. Spalletti waited in the tunnel to shake hands with the visiting players, but Catania officials interpreted the move as insincere because Roma had continued pressing for more goals throughout the match. Spalletti insisted that greeting opponents was his habit regardless of the scoreline, though the episode deepened the tension between the clubs.
In April 2009, internal Roma tensions spilled out during and after a match. Goalkeeper Doni delayed a goal-kick late in the first half after diving to stop a shot from Marco Di Vaio that hit the post. Spalletti called to him from the bench, and Doni responded with gestures of frustration. Their disagreement continued in the dressing room at half-time before they resolved it. Later, after Vincenzo Montella came on for Francesco Totti in the closing stages, Spalletti and Montella argued as well, with Daniele De Rossi helping restore calm.
His debut as Italy coach ended 1-1 against North Macedonia, but the draw was followed by another difficult farewell. Spalletti went to greet Blagoja Milevski, only for the North Macedonia coach to complain that Italy had not put the ball out while an opponent was down. Spalletti remained composed, using his hands to make clear his disagreement and replying, “No, that is not how it was,” before walking away.
Not all the disputes have involved colleagues. During Fiorentina-Napoli in 2022, Spalletti confronted a supporter behind the bench after hearing repeated insults. Speaking afterwards, he said children were nearby while people continued to abuse him, accusing those behind the dugout of being habitual offenders. During that exchange, he avoided an attempted slap.
While in charge of Inter at their Riscone di Brunico training camp, Spalletti lost patience with a spectator who repeatedly insulted Andrea Ranocchia. His response was blunt: the fan should not bother the team, and the team would not bother him.
More recently, during Juventus’ match with Benfica, Spalletti turned to a supporter in the 53rd minute and told him to stay home next time after apparently hearing too much criticism. In the 70th minute, he also slapped Loïs Openda, who was laughing at the time.
For Spalletti, these scenes have rarely been detached from the match itself. They have tended to emerge in the immediate aftermath of a decision, a goal, a gesture or a result: the small moments around a Sunday afternoon that, for a coach who has spent decades living the game intensely, can become a dispute of their own.
