Atalanta coach gets two-match ban for insulting officials

MILAN (Reuters) - Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has been given a two-match ban for insulting match officials and Torino's Sinisa Mihajlovic has been fined for breaking an interview backdrop screen, Serie A's disciplinary tribunal said on Tuesday.

Gasperini was sent off during his side's 2-1 defeat at Lazio after he "blatantly and repeatedly protested against a refereeing decision, uttering seriously insulting expressions towards the fourth official", the tribunal said in a statement.

After he was dismissed in Sunday's match, Gasperini "uttered more gravely offensive remarks" towards the referee.

Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi, sent off in the first half of the same match for dissent, was given a warning.

Mihajlovic, angry after Torino squandered a 2-0 lead and drew 2-2 with AC Milan, was fined 2,000 euros ($2,100) for his behaviour at the end of Monday's match.

The former Fiorentina, AC Milan, Sampdoria and Serbia coach "violently used his hand to strike the board used as background for conducting interviews, ripping it apart", the tribunal said.

($1 = 0.9348 euros)

(Writing by Brian Homewood, editing by Ed Osmond)