Key Takeaways
- Gianluca Rocchi, Italy’s top referees coordinator, has suspended himself amid allegations of sporting fraud.
- Prosecutors claim Rocchi manipulated referee appointments for specific Inter Milan matches last season.
- The scandal recalls the infamous Calciopoli affair that rocked Italian football two decades ago.
Inter Milan hoped to secure the Serie A title this past weekend. Instead, Italian football finds itself gripped by a refereeing crisis that has revived dark memories of past corruption.
Gianluca Rocchi, the official responsible for appointing match referees in Serie A and Serie B, stepped down from his role on Saturday. The move came after prosecutors in Milan opened an investigation into claims of “complicity in sporting fraud.” Andrea Gervasoni, who supervises the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for the same body, also suspended himself from duty.
Rocchi released a statement through the Italian Referees’ Association saying he wished to avoid disrupting his colleagues while legal proceedings continue. He maintains his innocence and believes he will clear his name. However, lawyers for both men admit they remain unclear about the precise details of the accusations.
The allegations centre on claims that Rocchi met with unidentified individuals during the Coppa Italia semi-final between Inter and AC Milan last April. Prosecutors allege he agreed to assign Andrea Colombo to referee Inter’s league clash with Bologna, and arranged for Daniele Doveri to officiate the second leg of the cup tie but not the final. Inter lost both the semi-final and the Bologna match, with manager Simone Inzaghi later criticising officials for allowing a controversial late goal.
The investigation also examines alleged interference in VAR decisions. Footage reportedly shows Rocchi tapping on the VAR booth window during Udinese’s match against Parma last March, moments before a penalty was awarded to Udinese. Gervasoni faces similar claims regarding a penalty decision in a Serie B fixture between Salernitana and Modena.
These developments come twenty years after the Calciopoli scandal, which saw Juventus stripped of two league titles and relegated, with five other clubs receiving points deductions. That affair involved wiretaps revealing attempts to influence referee appointments. Several major Italian media outlets, including Sky Sport, report that Inter Milan and its directors are not currently under investigation, with the prosecutor’s focus remaining solely on the match officials.
Inter president Giuseppe Marotta told Sky Sport that the club was “amazed” by the news. “We do not keep lists of favoured referees,” he stated. “We have acted with complete correctness.” Rocchi’s lawyer, Antonio D’Avirro, insists his client is “the victim of an injustice” and notes the mystery surrounding who allegedly influenced the appointments.
The scandal arrives at a turbulent time for the Italian Football Federation, which remains without a president following Gabriele Gravina’s resignation after the national team failed to qualify for the World Cup. Giancarlo Abete, a candidate for the vacant position, urged caution, stating: “We are at an early stage. It would be a mistake to judge situations we do not fully understand.”
Despite the off-field drama, Inter’s path to the Scudetto remains clear. Their match against Torino ended in a 2-2 draw after they surrendered a two-goal lead, with Giovanni Simeone scoring one of the goals for the home side. However, with a ten-point advantage and only four matches remaining, Inter will likely clinch the championship at home to Parma this Sunday.