Ballardini: 'I'll sue Sorrentino'

By Football Italia staff

Ex-Palermo Coach Davide Ballardini said he’ll take legal action against captain Stefano Sorrentino for “grave insults.”

The pair famously clashed in training after Ballardini threatened to drop the goalkeeper, then after the 1-0 win over Verona Sorrentino went on live television to claim they "played this game without a Coach. He didn’t speak to us before, during or after the match.”

Ballardini was sacked a couple of days later and today Palermo formally terminated his contract.

“What happened before the game was that seeing the recent performances I had a few doubts on who to start, not only in goal, but also elsewhere,” Ballardini told Tuttomercatoweb.

“Sorrentino reacted in a way that went beyond respect for a person and his profession. Grave insults were spoken, but will be examined in a court of law. I have a lawyer assisting me and we’ll see what happens in future.

“In any case, the entire squad, from the goalkeeper to those who came off the bench, did their duty in Verona.

“This has never happened to me before and will never happen again. It is so far beyond common sense that I don’t even need to consider such a thing.”

It was reported the squad was against Ballardini and stood by Sorrentino, partially because they were angry that predecessor Beppe Iachini had been fired.

“That’s not true, as after the dismissal I received around 20 messages of solidarity from the Palermo players and their agents.”

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