The Inter-Fiorentina match isn’t over yet; Cesari blurts out: “Can we call this madness?”

The controversy surrounding the refereeing in the Inter-Fiorentina match has not yet died down. The Nerazzurri’s 2-1 comeback victory, secured by late goals from Marcus Thuram and Piotr Zielinski, has not quelled the debate over the most contested incident of the game: the contact in the box between the Frenchman and Fiorentina defender Viery, which referee Maurizio Mariani initially signaled as a penalty before allowing play to continue.

Graziano Cesari revisited the incident, analyzing the video replays of the San Siro match on Pressing and focusing particularly on the decision made in the second half. The former referee’s verdict was clear: “Can we call this madness?” A question that accompanied his reconstruction of the contact between Viery and Thuram.

According to Cesari, the Fiorentina defender’s challenge should have resulted in a penalty kick. “In the 67th minute, with the score 0-1, Thuram entered the box; Mariani put the whistle to his mouth and pointed to the penalty spot, then signaled that nothing had happened. That’s a penalty,” explained the video analyst, challenging the referee’s decision.

The analysis also focused on the dynamics of the contact. Cesari pointed out the position of Viery’s foot, arguing that it was not planted firmly on the ground and that the defender therefore had the opportunity to react differently. “So it wasn’t Thuram who went into Viery,” he added, pointing out that, in his opinion, it was the Fiorentina player who caused the contact. What made the situation even more controversial was the failure to consult VAR, as Fabbri did not ask Mariani to review the footage on the monitor. This decision fueled protests from Inter and the debate over the application of the refereeing protocol.