This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
On October 27, 2019, Fiorentina suffered a 2-1 home defeat by Lazio, sparking controversy over a winning goal. The incident led to a heated exchange between Franck Ribery, a 36-year-old forward for Fiorentina, and match officials.
Video footage showed Ribery remonstrating with match officials after the final whistle, before pushing a linesman. He was subsequently restrained by his teammates and shown the red card.
According to Serie A's disciplinary tribunal, Ribery's conduct was 'seriously disrespectful.' The tribunal stated that Ribery had approached the linesman with 'threatening behaviour' and pushed him twice.
Ribery apologized on Twitter for his behavior, citing that he was 'agitated' after the controversial finish. He was also fined 20,000 euros ($22,196).
Fiorentina disputed the winning goal, claiming that it began with a foul by Jordan Lukaku on Riccardo Sotil. The team was baffled as to why the referee did not review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
