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Inter accept Napoli apology over homophobic slurs

Napoli's Italian coach Maurizio Sarri looks on before the Italian Serie A football match SSC Napoli vs Udinese Calcio on November 8, 2015 at the San Paolo stadium in Naples

Inter Milan have moved to draw a line under the controversy that saw coach Roberto Mancini branded a "poof" after accepting an apology from Napoli and their coach Maurizio Sarri. Sarri has steered Napoli to the top of Italy's top flight and the side are firmly in title contention 26 years after winning their last 'scudetto'. But the 57-year-old hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons on Tuesday when he shouted "homophobic and racist insults" during a tirade against Mancini after his side's quarter-final Cup defeat to the Nerazzurri. In a statement issued on Friday, Inter underlined their "full support of Mancini and the ethical stance he took concerning the comments at the end of the match". It added: "At the heart of Inter’s foundation in 1908 is the belief that all players, no matter their nationality, language, religion, personal and social conditions and orientations, are welcome in the team and so was born the phrase 'Brothers of the World'. Today inclusion remains a core value of the club. "However, now is the right time to draw a line under recent events and put an end to the many discussions surrounding the last few minutes of the match. "Roberto Mancini and the club therefore accept the apologies offered by Maurizio Sarri and Napoli and we ask that the attention of the press and public now returns to the games in Serie A and the Cup and a particularly exciting season for both sets of fans and all contenders for national titles." Sarri was handed a two-game touchline ban from Cup competition by Serie A officials on Thursday.