Subs, coaches seeing red as refs hear all in empty stadiums

Tommaso Berni, Inter Milan’s third-choice goalkeeper who hasn’t played in six seasons with the club, was sent off the bench for dissent during Sunday’s game at Parma.

Only two full rounds into the Italian league’s restart, four coaches have also been punished for protests: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Antonio Conte (Inter), Simone Inzaghi (Lazio) and Giuseppe Iachini (Fiorentina).

Others booked or sent off include an assistant coach for Juventus and the sporting directors of Cagliari and Brescia.

Fiorentina's head coach Giuseppe Iachini gestures during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Fiorentina at Rome's Olympic stadium, Saturday, June 27, 2020. (AP PhotoRiccardo de Luca)

In stadiums free of fan noise, Serie A’s referees have been targeting a wide array of bench members with disciplinary action.

“I’m sorry. It hadn’t happened in 2 ½ years,” Inzaghi said after invading the pitch during the frenetic finish of Lazio’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina on Saturday.

“I was trying to help the referee because there was a bit of chaos, but I wasn’t disrespectful. I just entered the field.”

Lazio's head coach Simone Inzaghi leaves the pitch after receiving a red card from the referee Michael fabbri during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Fiorentina at Rome's Olympic stadium, Saturday, June 27, 2020. (AP PhotoRiccardo de Luca)

But when referee Luca Banti sent Inzaghi off, the coach responded, “No, no. I won’t go.”

Inzaghi later explained, “I didn’t understand that I had been sent off.”

With stadiums empty of fans due to the coronavirus pandemic, TV cameras and microphones have been picking up nearly everything that players, coaches and bench members are saying.

Atalanta's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini reacts after getting a red card during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Even when the benches have been moved to the first few rows of the stands, as in Parma when Berni was singled out by the referee during the second half, officials can still hear everything.

It was the second time this season that Berni was sent off from the bench, and this time, at least, it seemed to motivate his team. Inter promptly scored twice to erase an early deficit and produced a 2-1 comeback win.

Plenty of players on the field are also seeing red cards. Moments after Berni’s outburst, Parma was reduced to 10 men when midfielder Juraj Kucka was sent off for protests. Kucka then became even angrier and had to be dragged down into the tunnel by club officials.

Atalanta's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini follows the game from the stands after getting a red card during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Fiorentina, which has been at odds with the referees in both of its matches since the restart, had defender Martín Cáceres and coach Iachini both punished for profanity during a 1-1 draw with Brescia.

After Fiorentina’s loss to Lazio, which included a controversial penalty awarded to the Roman club, club president Rocco Commisso suggested that teams should be able to appeal decisions to the VAR.

“I wouldn’t have anything against it,” said Nicola Rizzoli, Serie A’s refereeing director. “But we’ve got to remember that we’re part of a worldwide game. The rules need to be the same in Italy and abroad. At the moment this isn’t being discussed at the international level.

Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte, center, wearing a face mask, enters the pitch prior to the Italian Cup second leg semifinal soccer match between Napoli and Inter Milan, at the Naples San Paolo Stadium, Italy, Saturday, June 13, 2020. The match is being played without spectators because of the COVID-19 restriction measures. (CafaroLaPresse via AP)

“Maybe it should be tried but we can’t make sudden, personalized decisions,” Rizzoli added.

BEST IN THE WORLD

AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini offered a strong suggestion that the club will renew Gianluigi Donnarumma’s contract before it expires at the end of next season.

The 21-year-old goalkeeper has already taken over the starting position on Italy’s national team from Gianluigi Buffon.

“Milan needs to try and keep a player of Donnarumma’s importance,” Maldini said before Milan’s 2-0 win over Roma on Sunday. “He started in our youth system and and in my modest opinion he’s the best goalkeeper in the world.”

However, Donnarumma already earns 6 million euros ($6.7 million) per season and Mino Raiola, his agent, will be expecting a big salary increase that financially strapped Milan may not be able to afford.

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Andrew Dampf is at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Morez Johnson Jr. scored a career-high 29 points, including 17 in the first half, and No. 2 Michigan beat No. 24 Southern California 96-66 on Friday night.

Roddy Gayle Jr. added 12 points for the Wolverines (13-0, 3-0 Big Ten), and Will Tschetter, Trey McKenney and L.J. Cason each scored 10.

Michigan is off to its best start since it won 17 straight games to start the 2018-19 season.

Jaden Brownell scored 16 points and Erza Ausar added 15 for the Trojans (12-2, 1-2), whose only previous loss was by eight points against Washington on Dec. 6. Chad Baker-Mazara, who came into the game averaging 21 points, was hampered by early foul trouble and finished with 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Michigan starting guard Nimari Burnett was helped from the court with 16:25 left after falling during a battle under the basket. He went down to the floor and appeared to be bleeding above his eyebrow and holding his ankle. He sat on the bench the rest of the night.

The Wolverines bolted out to an 11-0 lead thanks to a defense that forced six early turnovers. USC got within five points twice in the first half and Michigan responded with a 32-19 run to build a 49-31 halftime advantage.

USC got no closer the rest of the way.

USC: At No. 9 Michigan State on Monday.

Michigan: Visits Penn State on Tuesday.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Michigan center Aday Mara, front, drives against Southern California center Gabe Dynes, back, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)