The decision to award Juventus a late penalty in their 3-2 win over Inter in the Derby d’Italia yesterday has been described as “scandalous” by Venezuelan journalist Richard Mendez.

A controversial encounter saw the Bianconeri come out on top at the Allianz Stadium as Ivan Perisic was adjudged to have fouled Juan Cuadrado in the box, allowing the Colombian to net the spot kick and maintain the Bianconeri’s position in the top four with victory.

Taking to Twitter, ESPN journalist Mendez was fiercely critical of the decision and felt that Inter had been robbed of a point, whilst claiming that the call was made to ensure that Juventus qualified for the Champions League.

The US-based Venezuelan also pointed to the Bianconeri’s involvement in the breakaway Super League and sarcastically claimed that they were looking to rescue football.

“The scandalous penalty for Juventus against Inter is one of those footballing robberies for a team that must be in the Champions League. These things must be earned. By the way, Juventus are another of those ‘saviour of football’ clubs in the Super League,” he tweeted.

Victory for Juventus saw them move two points clear of Napoli and into fourth place, ahead of the Partenopei’s match against Fiorentina today.