Goran Pandev was not happy to be substituted in the 62nd minute and according to Italian newspapers, Pandev and Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri exchanged words on the sidelines.

When Goran Pandev was substituted by Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri in the 62nd minute of today’s game against Atalanta, Pandev’s body language was not good as he quickly exchanged a handshake with Ezequiel Lavezzi, the player who replaced Pandev, before going past the Napoli manager without even looking at him.  Now, newspapers in Italy are reporting that cameras caught Mazzarri saying “don’t complain if you’re not playing” to Pandev in which Goran then responded the word “vaffa” to Marrazzi.  “Vaffa” is an Italian word meaning to f— off or get lost.  Napoli eventually drew 1:1 in the road encounter against Atalanta with both goals being scored after Pandev was substituted.

After the game, Walter Marrazzi tried to downplay the Pandev rift by saying the following after he was asked by journalists about Goran not seeming happy about the substitution, “Perhaps he was right, I could have kept him on for another ten minutes or so.  We continue to work on his physical condition but as the game went on, I felt Lavezzi’s pace would be more useful.”