Buffon responds to Juventus rift rumours

Date: 24th April 2018 at 6:32pm
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Following claims of a dressing room altercation after Juventus’ 1-0 loss to Napoli on Sunday, captain Gianluigi Buffon has insisted that those are without foundation.

In their top of the table clash at the Allianz Stadium, the Bianconeri were beaten by a last minute header from Kalidou Koulibaly, narrowing the gap at the summit to a single point.

There were multiple reports on Tuesday that the captain was involved in a bust-up with defender Medhi Benatia in the dressing room afterwards, something he claimed was falsified in order to divide the squad.

“It is that kind of clearly false gossip, which follows the defeats of teams that do not seem to have an Achilles heel: teams like Juventus,” the 40-year-old said in an interview with Juventus TV.

“It attempts to destabilise an environment and undermine the confidence and togetherness of a group. As normal as this is and as something that has always happened since I’ve been at Juventus, I think it is right to speak up and that is what I’ve done.

“Nobody, at least in my 17 years at Juventus, has taken it upon themselves to point the finger at another teammate, blaming them for a defeat and this will never happen while I am captain of this team.

“I would like to add that Medhi is an extremely respectful, polite person, who is contributing to the cause and forms a part of this exceptional group.

“I’m sorry that I’m forced to raise these points but I have to do it because in the light of certain news stories, if not slanderous, at least false, I believe that a clarification is due to protect the group and Medhi, who is a fantastic guy.”

Reports had claimed that the pair had exchanged heated words about the winning goal, with Benatia charged with marking Koulibaly at the corner which the defender scored from.

 

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