Gianluca Rocchi, the head of referees for Serie A and Serie B, has temporarily stepped aside after being placed under investigation by prosecutors in Milan for “sporting fraud.” Rocchi announced on Saturday that he decided to “suspend himself” from his role, which involves assigning referees to matches in Italy’s top two divisions.
Allegations of Bias in Referee Selection
Rocchi is accused, alongside other unnamed suspects, of having piloted the selection of Andrea Colombo as the referee for Inter’s match against Bologna in April last year because Colombo was “liked by Inter.” Bologna won that match 1-0, with a last-minute goal from Riccardo Orsolini. The accusation suggests that Rocchi deliberately chose a referee favorable to Inter, raising questions about the integrity of match officiating.
VAR Interference Claims
In a separate incident, Rocchi is also accused of pressing a VAR official to encourage referee Fabio Maresca to check the pitchside monitors for a handball offense during Udinese’s 1-0 win over Parma in March last year. Maresca and VAR official Daniele Paterna had initially ruled that the incident did not warrant a penalty. However, video footage from the VAR room shows Paterna turning away from his monitors and appearing to say “it’s a penalty” after being spoken to by someone off-camera. Prosecutors allege that Rocchi banged on the VAR room door to pressure Paterna into changing his decision not to review the handball, which eventually led to Florian Thauvin scoring the only goal of the game.
Legal and Disciplinary Consequences
Sporting fraud is a criminal offense in Italy, carrying a maximum sentence of six years in prison. The case files will also be sent to the Italian football federation, whose own prosecutors may open a separate inquiry. Rocchi expressed confidence in his innocence, stating, “This painful and difficult decision … is intended to allow the judicial proceedings, from which I am certain I will emerge unscathed, to run smoothly.”
The video assistant referee (VAR) chief, Andrea Gervasoni, is also under investigation for the same charge. The developments have cast a shadow over Serie A’s officiating standards, prompting calls for greater transparency and accountability in referee assignments and VAR operations.
