Controversy Over Referees: Inter Milan Influencer Adds Fuel to the Fire
In these first few days of the league season, there have been several controversies involving referees. The first major controversy erupted during the Genoa-Napoli match, with the Giallorossi vehemently protesting an alleged foul by Kevin De Bruyne.
More recently, referees Sozza and Mariani have come under fire for their performances in the Inter vs. Napoli and Juventus vs. Milan matches, respectively. In particular, during the match between the Italian champions and Massimiliano Allegri’s Napoli, an incident sparked the anger of many Inter fans.
In the second half, inside the Napoli penalty area, Stanislav Lobotka appeared to handle the ball. Nicolò Barella, just a few steps away from his opponent, was the first to protest, followed by Lautaro Martinez and the others. Sozza let play continue, but among those who didn’t take it well was certainly Fabrizio Biasin, a journalist and well-known Inter supporter and influencer.
“The new standard of judgment adopted by the referees is certainly interesting: no more calling fouls that aren’t fouls, a clean break from time-wasting, more actual play, and the spectacle is infinitely better. Great. But be careful not to overdo it: beyond a certain limit, holding becomes judo, shoving becomes a kind of freestyle wrestling, and fouls… are fouls. ‘The important thing is that there’s consistency and the standard is the same for everyone.’ “Agreed, but only up to a point: if I drive the wrong way down the street every morning, I’m not being consistent—I’m crazy,” he wrote on his hugely popular X profile.
During the Juventus-Milan match, it was the contact between Koni De Winter and Randal Kolo Muani that sparked debate. Here’s Luca Marelli’s take: “I’m fine with this use of VAR, but I hope they don’t overdo it. What needs to be looked at and evaluated is the Juventus player’s left foot and De Winter’s right foot, which makes contact with the tip of the Juventus player’s foot.”
“The Rossoneri player’s heel is on the side of the Bianconeri player’s foot: in my opinion, this is a foul that could have led to a review,” said the video analyst from the DAZN studios. “It was probably assessed as a on-field call. But this is the 28th match, and we don’t know what the standard will be…”.
