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Lazio fans want club out of Serie A in protest at refereeing decisions - Diaconale

Lazio head of communications Arturo Diaconale says many of his club's fans have called on him to pull the team out of Serie A due to recent incidents which have gone against them.

The red card shown to Ciro Immobile during the 3-1 defeat at home to Torino on Monday night incensed Lazio sporting director Igli Tare and coach Simone Inzaghi, who both criticised the referee and the video assistant referee for what they said was a mistake.

Diaconale told Radio 24 how he has been bombarded with demands from supporters to make a stand to the Lega Serie A.

"Plenty of fans have asked for me to protest, going to the extreme of pulling the team out of the league," he said. "In the name of all of our fans, I ask that there be an end to all these errors. We want Serie A to be correct.

"I'm not one for conspiracies, and I don't like whining either, but let's be honest, when these incidents happen over and over again, Sunday after Sunday, then you must at least feel a bit of reason to be suspicious.

"We can confirm how disappointed we are with something which is scandalous, because there was a clear penalty and if that had been given, all that happened after would not have happened, meaning Immobile's red card, which was wrong anyway.

"This was just the last link in a chain of incidents which, starting with the derby against Roma and going through the game against Fiorentina and Sampdoria and now this double mistake, it seems like they are aimed at penalising us."

Torino defender Nicolas Burdisso, meanwhile, said that there had been contact from Immobile before the red card, causing him to fall, while he denied he had dived.

"I was still and I was talking to him and he just came at me," he told Sky Sport Italia. "I fell because he came at me and I lowered my head because he was coming at me. Everybody has their own interests and I can understand the [Lazio] management, but I've said my bit.

"For me, what happens on the field stays on the field. That's the way I am. I told the referee not to worry because what happened was between me and Immobile, and I'm sorry that we're talking about this and not that Torino played a great game."

Defeat prevented Lazio from drawing level with fourth-placed Roma in Serie A, although both sides still have a game in hand on the top three.

Lazio have won just one of their past four games since their clash with Udinese was postponed. They head to Atalanta on Sunday.