Inter vs. Napoli, Lobotka’s handball: Gianpaolo Calvarese tries to set the record straight, but Inter fans are furious

During the opening minutes of the second half of the Inter-Napoli match, an incident sparked a great deal of debate: Nicolò Barella challenged Stanislav Lobotka in the Napoli penalty area, and Lobotka appeared to have touched the ball with his hand after a rebound. The Inter players immediately asked the referee to intervene, but the official let play continue and the VAR did not intervene.

The incident sparked a great deal of controversy, and former referee Gianpaolo Calvarese attempted to explain: “Handball in this situation is always punishable. Why wasn’t a penalty kick awarded? The ball came off a rebound and bounced off Barella’s chest, while Lobotka raised his hand from his side upward until it was in a clearly punishable position.”

“However, the penalty kick wasn’t awarded because, evidently, the VAR room couldn’t find clear enough footage to prove that there was a handball. In the absence of clear evidence, the protocol dictates upholding the decision made on the field,” Calvarese said in a video posted on Facebook.

The former referee’s explanation, however, failed to convince Inter fans, who lashed out in the comments section against referee Sozza and Di Paolo, who was in the VAR booth: “It’s impossible not to find clear footage—it’s 2026 and the field is packed with cameras,” noted Umberto. Simone agreed: “The explanation may be true, but I can’t fathom how there isn’t a clear angle. When I go to the stadium, I see cameras everywhere!!”.

Here’s the explanation Luca Marelli gave from the DAZN studios: “There are many doubts. It’s hard to tell if there was contact, since his arm is outstretched. Looking at all the footage we have, it’s unclear whether he touched it with his hand or not.”

However, this wasn’t the only controversial incident of the evening at San Siro. In the 82nd minute, on Marcus Thuram’s goal that tied the game at 2-2, referee Sozza chose not to stop play even though Rrahmani was on the ground in front of goalkeeper Meret: the referee ruled that the Napoli defender had fallen as a result of his own header and not due to a challenge by an opponent.