sports
Refereeing scandal brings back unhappy memories of Calciopoli to Italian football
Allegations of ‘sporting fraud’ against Gianluca Rocchi arrive at an especially messy moment for Italian football
TL;DR
- Gianluca Rocchi, head of referee designations for Serie A and Serie B, is under investigation for 'complicity in sporting fraud'.
- Rocchi and VAR supervisor Andrea Gervasoni have suspended themselves from their duties.
- The investigation alleges Rocchi suggested specific referees for Inter matches and intervened in VAR decisions.
- The scandal evokes memories of the 2006 Calciopoli refereeing scandal, though its scale is currently seen as smaller.
- Inter Milan and their directors are reportedly not under investigation, with the focus on the referees.
- The allegations include Rocchi allegedly tapping on a VAR booth window to influence a penalty decision.