Napoli boss Antonio Conte fumes at VAR protocol after Serie A draw with Inter - 'This fuels conspiracy theories'

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Antonio Conte was left furious by VAR protocol after his Napoli side drew with Inter at the San Siro on Sunday. The hosts were awarded a penalty 16 minutes from time after Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was adjudged to have felled Denzel Dumfries in the box, and while replays showed minimal contact, VAR did not deem the decision a clear and obvious error - thus not intervening.

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Napoli boss Antonio Conte said the usage of VAR in his side's 1-1 draw with Inter "fuels conspiracy theories", as the former Chelsea manager was left incensed by a penalty call against his side.

Scott McTominay put Napoli ahead at the San Siro but Hakan Calhanoglu levelled proceedings two minutes before half-time. And the match looked to swing into the hosts' favour 16 minutes from time when Maurizio Mariani pointed to the spot after Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was adjudged to have brought Denzel Dumfries down in the box.

Replays showed minimal contact between the two, but IFAB rules state that "only in the event of a ‘clear and obvious error’ or ‘serious missed incident’" can an on-field decision be reviewed by VAR, thus the referee's decision stood.

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And the protocol left Conte furious after the match, despite Calhanoglu spurning the subsequent penalty, hitting the post.

"What does it mean that the VAR cannot intervene?" Conte told DAZN. "It only intervenes when it is convenient. If there is an error, it must intervene. These incidents change matches.

"This thing really p***** me off, as it does all coaches. The VAR must correct the referees' errors or intervene if something was not seen.

"We are in a situation where we start to think again that there are ulterior motives on everyone's part. The referee in these cases must go and see, then at most confirm the decision."

Conte continued to make his distaste for the VAR system known, saying the process "fuels conspiracy theories and bad thoughts".

“It was annoying to hear that VAR could not intervene on a non-existent penalty," he added. "If there’s an error, VAR must intervene. If there’s an obvious error, it must intervene.

“Using VAR like this fuels conspiracy theories and bad thoughts. I don’t want to have bad thoughts. If there’s an error, VAR must intervene.

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“I want intellectual honesty and I’ve been hearing this thing for a while, so now it’s upsetting me,” he continued.

“If there’s a clear error, you must correct it or at least tell the referee to double-check on the monitor. If he confirmed the decision, I’d be the first to defend him.”

The draw saw Napoli extend their stay at the top of the Serie A table, leading a tightly-congested pack which sees just two points separate Conte's side and sixth-placed Juventus.

But that did not leave the former Tottenham Hotspur boss satisfied ahead of their two-week-long international break.

He added: “All the coaches are angry. VAR must intervene if there’s an error, whether it’s in favour or against Napoli. Who made this protocol?

"I don’t want conspiracy theories; I want to remain calm on the bench; otherwise, I’ll get yellow or red cards. Today, I saw that the odds for my red card were 1/4. Incredible.”

Napoli return from the break to face AS Roma - who sacked manager Ivan Juric after just 12 games in charge following a 3-2 defeat to Bologna.

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