Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 5y

Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti 'surprised' by UEFA choice for referee vs. Liverpool

Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed surprise at UEFA's choice of Viktor Kassai as referee for his side's Champions League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday.

Ancelotti was in charge of Bayern Munich when Kassai's decisions in their quarterfinal defeat at Real Madrid two seasons ago were condemned by the Bundesliga club.

The Hungarian referee showed Arturo Vidal a controversial red card and then allowed two Real goals to stand despite replays showing both were offside. Bayern lost the game 4-2 after extra-time and Ancelotti has not forgotten who was in charge that evening.

"I have an unfavourable precedent with him -- I'm a bit surprised about him being picked for this game," Ancelotti said at a news conference ahead of his side's first home game in their current Champions League campaign, after they were held to a goalless draw at Red Star Belgrade in their opening fixture.

Napoli, who come into the game off the back of a 3-1 defeat at Juventus that saw them fall six points behind the Serie A leaders at the weekend, can ill afford to lose again on Wednesday night against a side Ancelotti has hailed as one of Europe's best.

"They are one of the strongest teams in Europe," he said. "They've found continuity and organisation. They are in good shape and can play with great intensity.

"They play well on the break, but there are many things we've got to keep an eye on. We want to play an attacking game and we've got to bear their characteristics in mind. It's not decisive, but we've already dropped two points against Red Star.

"We need to have the strength and conviction to play the way we want to play, as we did at times against Juventus. We won't be able to boss the game for its entirety, but we need to improve the way we control things at difficult times, which you are bound to face against sides of such a high level."

While Ancelotti may have bad memories of Kassai, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's previous visit to Naples was an equally forgettable experience.

In charge of Borussia Dortmund five years ago, he was sent off less than half an hour in after an angry outburst to the fourth official that he admitted was "pathetic" afterwards.

He spent the rest of that game in the office of the stadium caretaker Vincenzo Cerrone, who has told La Gazzetta dello Sport how much he is looking forward to seeing the German again after recalling that special night.

"The stewards brought him to me and sat him in front of the TV," Cerrone said. "I don't speak German or English, just Neapolitan, but I still managed to ask him if he wanted a coffee. Klopp enjoyed it. We smoked a cigarette in front of the TV and then [Lorenzo] Insigne scored to make it 2-0. He didn't take it badly at all. In fact, he even said 'bello, bravo.' At full-time, after [Ricardo] Zuniga's own goal, he bid farewell and left and I thought I'd never see him again, given the outcome.

"Then he came in person to bring me a [Marco] Reus shirt and to thank me for how I'd looked after him. He's a true gentleman. A few days later, Napoli called me because Klopp had sent them an email inviting me, at their expense, to see the return fixture in Germany. It's incredible but true, although I had to turn it down.

"I knew I'd see him again sooner or later, and obviously I'll have a coffee ready for him. I'm supporting Napoli tomorrow, but I'm feeling a bit of trepidation for a few things I'm sure he'll oblige, because I'd like to get a photo with him and also for him to sign the Reus shirt. I forgot to ask him these two things last time because I was too excited."

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