Italy referees more sensitive than England - Giroud

striker Olivier Giroud has claimed that referees in Italy are more sensitive than in England.

The 35-year-old striker played for

and

in England and left for Milan in July last year for around € 1 million, and has played a key role in Stefano Pioli's squad so far. He now explained the differences between the referees in Italy and England and claimed that the Milan project immediately convinced him to join the team.

He said: 

“Coming into contact with the others was easy for me as I knew a bit of Italian thanks to my grandmother’s origins. I knew a few words and this is important.

“My integration was also helped by the fact that there are several players who speak French, I found guys I knew and in the end what the coach asks of me on the pitch is not too complicated for me, because I know what he expects from me and what I have to do.

“It’s more about adapting to the referees who have a tendency to whistle for lighter contacts than they do in the Premier League.”

Asked about Milan project, the French striker said: 

“I clearly accepted immediately, for me it was a test. I spoke with the manager Massara and Maldini and I immediately realised that they were looking for me and with the speech they gave me I was immediately convinced. I want to win and return to the top in Italy.”

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