Italian Referee Chief Suspends Himself Over ‘sporting Fraud’ Allegations

The caput of referees for Serie A and Serie B has temporarily stepped speech aft being placed nether investigation by prosecutors successful Milan for “sporting fraud”.

Gianluca Rocchi said connected Saturday that he has decided to “suspend himself” from his domiciled arsenic nan man who assigns referees to matches successful Italy’s apical 2 divisions.

“This achy and difficult determination … is intended to let nan judicial proceedings, from which I americium definite I will look unscathed, to tally smoothly,” said Rocchi. The video adjunct referee (VAR) chief, Andrea Gervasoni, is besides nether investigation for nan aforesaid charge.

Rocchi is accused, alongside different unnamed suspects, of having piloted nan action of Andrea Colombo arsenic nan referee for Inter’s lucifer astatine Bologna successful April past twelvemonth arsenic he was “liked by Inter”. Bologna won nan lucifer 1-0, acknowledgment to a last-minute onslaught from Riccardo Orsolini.

Rocchi is besides accused of having pressed a VAR charismatic to promote nan referee, Fabio Maresca, to cheque connected nan pitchside monitors for a handball offence during Udinese’s 1-0 triumph complete Parma successful March past year.

Maresca connected nan transportation and Daniele Paterna successful nan VAR room had already ruled nan incident was not worthy a penalty. In video footage from nan VAR room, Paterna tin beryllium seen turning distant from his monitors and appears to opportunity “it’s a penalty” aft being spoken to by personification off-camera.

Prosecutors allege it was Rocchi who had banged connected nan VAR room doorway successful bid to unit Paterna to alteration his determination not to reappraisal nan handball, which yet led to Florian Thauvin scoring nan only extremity of nan game.

Sporting fraud is simply a criminal offence successful Italy pinch a maximum condemnation of six years successful prison. The files will besides beryllium sent to nan Italian shot federation, whose ain prosecutors could unfastened a abstracted inquiry.