Serie A referees' chief issues an apology to Juventus defender after controversial red card against Inter Milan amidst death threats and online abuse
- Anweshan Ghosh
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Serie A referees' chief Gianluca Rocchi has admitted that the match referee, Federico La Penna, was wrong when he showed a straight red card to Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu in their 3-2 loss to Inter Milan.
Kalulu was sent his marching orders after stumbling with Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni, which left him stranded on the ground. Even after consulting with VAR, which clearly showed there was no contact between the two players, the referee stuck to his decision, which was a pivotal point in the game.
After being down to ten men, Inter started to dominate possession and clinched a 3-2 win over their rivals. Following this win, Inter are now top of the table eight points clear of AC Milan in second position.
“We are very sorry about the incident, about La Penna’s decision, which was clearly wrong, and about the fact that VAR could not be used to rectify it,” said Rocchi. (sic)
“La Penna is mortified, and we are close to him, but I have to tell you the truth: he is not the only one who made a mistake, because yesterday there was a clear simulation.” (sic)
Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti and former Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini confronted the referee inside the tunnel and slammed him for making a mistake that's completely unacceptable for all the fans.
“Something completely unacceptable happened today; it doesn’t matter whether it happens to us or someone else, and from tomorrow presumably VAR will have to change, because it is not acceptable that so many errors keep happening even in big games like this,” said Chiellini. (sic)
La Penna has received multiple death threats following the game. Italian police have strongly instructed him to not leave his home until the situation clears up. As per reports, he has filed a formal complaint over the death threats he has been receiving across social media.
He could also face a one-month ban from officiating matches. Commoli and Chiellini have slammed Serie A for the poor quality of refereeing and the constant advantage that the league toppers are receiving.
“Juventus lost three points, but Italian football lost much more,” Comolli said.
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