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Napoli boss ignores handshake but Spartak manager is the coolest cat in town

By: Author Raghav Maheshwari

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Napoli boss ignores handshake but Spartak manager is the coolest cat in town

A salty Luciano Spalletti was in no mood for post-match pleasantries as he blatantly refused to shake hands with his opposite number, Rui Vitoria.

The Napoli boss has hit a rough patch lately, having to deal with injuries, Serie A defeats and a recent COVID scare looming over his squad.

The Italian side’s trip to Russia did his worries no favour either, as his side went down 2-1 in their Europa League fixture against Spartak Moscow.

The Naples outfit headed into the game with a long list of absentees including their big guns Victor Osimhen and Lorenzo Insigne. Things went haywire almost immediately for the visitors as they conceded a penalty which was converted by Aleksandr Sobolev, giving Moscow the lead in the 3rd minute itself.

Napoli further slumped as the hosts went 2-0 up at the 28th minute, courtesy Sobolev yet again. While Elif Elmas’s efforts did pull one back for Spalleti’s men, it wasn’t enough to bring the Italians on level terms with their adversaries who emerged victorious on a chilly night.

With the final whistle blown, the Spartak gaffer made his way to Spalletti to indulge in a handshake. To his surprise, the 62-year-old immediately raised his arms skywards indicating that he was in no mood to replicate the gesture.

Fortuitously, a cameraman present at the scene was able to tape the entire incident including Vitoria’s reaction to this disrespect. Vitoria showed just how cool a customer he was as he retorted with all but a couple of nonchalant nods while watching Spalletti stomp away.

When asked about his insolence on the sidelines, Spalletti fumed “I always go to salute the visiting coach before the game. It’s too easy to do it afterwards only when you’ve won. You must welcome someone to your stadium.”

Unfortunately, things look bleak for the Napoli tactician as his injury-riddled squad is set to face Lazio for their upcoming Serie A fixture, which could further derail their campaign.