After the events that occurred during the match between Inter and Juventus and all the subsequent controversies, Marotta decided to hold a press conference during the Serie A Assembly to speak out.
"Our stance is very simple," began the president of the Nerazzurri, "We have noticed that the media's reaction and stance on this matter have been overly exaggerated. The player himself has been besieged by public opinion beyond the scope of the incident. He is a 26-year-old player with approximately 300 appearances in Serie A and has never been involved in any major controversial incidents. He is an asset to the Italy national team, yet now some people are questioning his eligibility for national team selection, which is an unjust injury."
"He made a mistake, I admit. But who has never made a mistake?" Marotta continued, "We are dealing with a young man's error, but who has never made a mistake? If we're talking about diving, this topic has been discussed for fifty years. It's a common phenomenon, not an exception. While it should certainly be condemned, it is related to multiple factors such as Kalulu's arm contact and the referee's subsequent whistle."
"He made a mistake, and I admit it. But last season, we missed out on the championship by just one point. There was also an acknowledged wrong call in Inter Milan's match against Roma, and we chose to accept it. This season, Inter Milan only spoke out after one game, which was Napoli's match against Inter, when the penalty awarded was later determined to be a wrong call. We need to reflect, and everyone from referees, clubs, players to the football association needs to think."
"This behavior does not conform to the principle of fair play, but it should be understood," he added. "You journalists draw conclusions and make judgments based on the facts you see and the statements of the parties involved. I won't interfere, but what happened in Italy can also happen abroad. We need to reflect: perhaps we can increase the penalties, but we should treat all registered players equally."
"I'm talking about economic penalties. Many times, players' words and actions have also crossed the line. This is my view, and I clearly state here that Bastoni's behavior does not conform to the principle of fair play, but it should be understood. Suppression is not my way of doing things; problems can be prevented. But this is also the responsibility of the players' union. I often find that many people know nothing about the rules."
Speaking about Chiellini's behavior, he added: "Did I greet him? Greeting is the most basic. He was my player, and now he is a young and inexperienced manager. I should neither comment on what happened nor analyze it."
In response to writer Saviano's claim that the league appears rigged as long as Marotta is around, Inter Milan's president replied: "I feel sorry, which is only human. I don't even know who Saviano is or his identity. I don't want to give him any attention, and his remarks will be handled by our lawyers."
Marotta then emphasized that Inter has received more attention because the team has been the most successful in recent years: "If we're talking about diving, I'd like to mention the 2021 Juventus vs. Inter match, where Cuadrado clearly dived to win a penalty for Juventus. Subsequently, the referee on duty and the technical department both confirmed it was an obvious dive, and Juventus secured Champions League qualification with that victory, worth 60 million to 70 million euros."