Penalty denied to Torino; another scathing attack from *La Gazzetta dello Sport*

There is massive controversy at Torino over the penalty not called by referee Guida for Heggem’s foul on Oristanio in the match against Bologna: the footage clearly shows the Norwegian’s leg making contact with the Torino player, but the referee did not award the penalty.

Immediately after the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, *La Gazzetta dello Sport* sparked the controversy: “The video review should have been called at the very least to thoroughly examine the play. Heggem moved Oristanio’s foot—it was a penalty.” Guida may have been ‘misled’ by the fact that Oristanio planted his foot and then fell to the ground, but the Granata forward’s right leg was simply and clearly knocked aside. That’s the physics of it. But nothing happened. Silence.”

On Sunday morning, *La Gazzetta dello Sport* doubled down: “The doubts began on the first matchday when the De Bruyne-Vasquez contact—which paved the way for Napoli’s victory over Genoa—went unpunished: a clear infraction that the referee failed to call based on a presumed greater tolerance for contact, which was a mistake. And the doubts continued, with several intermediate stages, until yesterday. Right up to Bologna vs. Torino.”

“Heggem’s challenge on Oristanio in the box is a clear foul; moreover, it’s unclear why the Torino player would dive to the ground when he had a clear path to the goal. Guida should have seen it on his own, yet he didn’t call the penalty—and don’t even get me started on whether VAR official Santoro would dare take the responsibility of going against Orsato’s call.”

“Yet the footage immediately shows that Heggem’s foot struck Oristanio’s. Similarly, later in the match, the contact between Yeboah and Taylor in the Venezia penalty area was evident. And there, the penalty kick for Lazio was rightly awarded. Orsato’s new rules also lack consistency,” concluded La Gazzetta dello Sport.