Coach Gianluca Rocchi has criticized referee Simone Sozza for not awarding a textbook penalty in Inter Milan’s game against Fiorentina.
In the latest episode of DAZN’s “Open Vars” via FCInterNews, Rocchi commented on what happened last week against San Siro.
Despite achieving an overwhelming 3-0 victory, Inter faced criticism for manager Simone Sozza’s poor management.
Indeed, some of his comments added fuel to an already heated debate over the consistency and quality of refereeing in Serie A.
Sozza also missed two chances, giving the Nerazzurri a penalty.
Interestingly, both incidents involved the same players.
Fiorentina centre-back Pietro Comuzzo twice used excessive force to stop Francesco Pio Esposito.
Sozza may be forgiven for pardoning Comuzzo in the first half, but there is no excuse for not sanctioning the youngster after the break.
Comuzzo put his hands around Pio Esposito’s neck and forced the Inter striker to the ground without looking at the ball.
However, despite a lengthy VAR review, Sozza refused to point out the spot.
Gianluca Rocchi rules on Inter Milan 3-0 Fiorentina penalty dispute
“This was a penalty awarded on the field,” Rocchi said. “There was every possibility to make it happen.
“The first thing to check in a hold is what the defender is doing.
“In this case, the action is to restrain the other party.
“The ball goes there, it doesn’t go anywhere else.
“So this is an on-field penalty and if the referee is unable to do that, we have to undergo an on-field review.
“Their hesitation had to do with the transformation to OFR.
“But I have always said that in cases of doubt, the final decision always rests with the referee and not VAR.
“If not, we will replace the referee with VAR. If this decision is made on the field, it will also help those on the monitor.”
Gianluca Rocchi comments on Daniele Doveri’s decision to give Jan Bisek a yellow card
Jan Bisek narrowly avoided a red card in Inter’s 2-1 win over Hellas Verona last weekend.
Indeed, he knocked Giovane to the ground.
However, despite being the last man standing, referee Daniele Dobelli refused to send him off for a reason.
“Doberg made a very important and very good decision,” Rocchi insisted. “The hesitation is related to the message they received from the assistant.
“Some umpires ask their assistants to understand geographically whether a foul is last man or not.
“However, the expression “last person” is not appropriate, and it is not certain whether last means the last person.
“I completely agree with what was said in the VAR room. DOGSO lacked two parameters (denial of a clear scoring opportunity).
“Dveri’s decision is important,” he continued. “Actually, for us, if we got a red card for this foul, it would be rescinded.
“The fouls are strong, but they are not at the level where they can withstand serious foul play.
“I’m glad the decision was made on the field. If it had been a red, I would have expected it to be on the field.
“If Giovane had hit the ball towards the goal, it would have been red.”
