Furious Gattuso says Insigne red card would only be awarded in Italy

Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso has complained that only in Italy would his captain Lorenzo Insigne be sent off for using vulgar language to a referee.

The Italy international forward was shown a straight red card by official Davide Massa during the second half of his side’s 1-0 Serie A defeat by Inter Milan on Wednesday, after reacting angrily when a penalty was awarded to the home side.

"These things only happen in Italy," Gattuso told Sky Italia.

"The captain of Napoli can’t be sent off because he has sworn at the referee after a dubious penalty.

"We are playing a lot of football, a word can slip out. Only in Italy do players get sent off for these things."

The spot-kick proved to be decisive, as Romelu Lukaku converted it to give Inter a 1-0 win and end Napoli’s six-match unbeaten run in all competitions.