Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano was involved in a furious row with Reggina coach Renzo Ulivieri during yesterday's 3-0 victory.
Ulivieri was sent to the stands for the bust-up and Cassano explained: "There was a penalty kick on me and he started shouting at me from the sidelines. He was sent off quite correctly.
The television footage seems to suggest otherwise, as Cassano was spotted hurling abuse at the veteran Coach for at least 20 seconds.
Ulivieri said of the incident: "I reacted because Cassano swore at me.
"The referee should have intervened immediately to prevent the situation, not that I want to make any evaluations on the officials."
Sampdoria dominated the match at Marassi and Cassano was inspirational, setting up the opener and earning a series of free kicks with his mazy runs.
"I am not even at 40 per cent fitness!" smiled the former Roma and Real Madrid starlet.
"It was a long time since I played an hour at a good level and I need to train hard over the week, so I hope I'm on the right road.
"A goal was not important. The key thing is that the team played well and we got three points."