Milan  - Italy's Minister of Interior Roberto Maroni has censured Catania's general manager Piero Lo Monaco for a verbal attack against Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho.

"I'm frankly amazed by the statements of certain Serie A managers, which sound like an instigation to violence," Maroni Tuesday was quoted as saying.

"I'm not entitled to intervene, but when a manager says that the coach of another team should be clubbed on his teeth, I'd expect either a sports judge, the League (of clubs) or the football federation to take an immediate decision about the matter."

The new Inter coach said after beating Catania at the weekend through two own goals that "a fair result would have been 3, 4 or 5-1."

"One who says such things has no respect for the opponents, nor for the country that hosts him, nor for (other) coaches," Lo Monaco replied.

"Mourinho should stop talking so much. He should look at his team's problems and at how much he (earning close to 9 million euros per season) and his team cost to his club."

Lo Monaco later denied that his "clubbing" was in incitement to violence, but merely "a colourful Sicilian way to invite Mourinho to respect the others.

"It's not acceptable to hear certain things from a coach who by himself earns what our club spends for all of its players."

The Portuguese coach had quipped that he only knew the Tibetan monks (monaco in Italian) and the Monaco Grand Prix.

"If this Lo Monaco wants to be known for talking about me, he should pay me a lot," Mourinho said. "I have some sponsors paying me to do advertizing. I'm not paid to advertize Lo Monaco."

The ANSA news agency Tuesday quoted Lo Monaco as saying that "Mourinho must absolutely win, or face a sad return to his country. In a few months we'll see, but I don't think that the Italian football, without him, will lose that much." (dpa)