Controversy Surrounds Inter-Fiorentina Match; Luca Marelli Clarifies the Two Incidents
Two controversial moments involving Marcus Thuram in the Inter-Fiorentina match, which was decided by a penalty kick converted by Piotr Zielinski in the 97th minute for a final 2-1 victory for Inter. In the closing minutes of the match, referee Mariani awarded a penalty for a holding foul by Valdepenas on the French forward, but he had previously denied Inter another possible penalty for a challenge by Viery. These two incidents sparked debate over the refereeing, with Luca Marelli deeming the first one, in particular, to be a foul.
The first controversial incident occurred in the 68th minute. Thuram entered the penalty area, cut inside to get past Viery, and went down after making contact with the right leg of the Fiorentina defender, who had spread his legs and brought him down. Mariani initially pointed to the penalty spot, only to immediately change his mind and make broad gestures to explain that, in his judgment, there was no foul. Confirmation of the referee’s call also came from the VAR room: no penalty kick and no yellow card for the Nerazzurri forward.
A decision that did not convince Luca Marelli, who during the live broadcast offered a clear assessment of the Fiorentina defender’s challenge. “It’s a clear penalty for Inter; it’s an issue that will have to be addressed sooner or later. Viery is way too late, he tackles Thuram and commits a foul. I understand the high standard, the high bar, but this is a very obvious penalty. Viery actually sticks his leg out toward Thuram—it’s a penalty, and VAR needs to step in,” the refereeing expert emphasized.
Curiously, just a few seconds later, Viery was booked for a foul on Thuram, but in that instance, the contact occurred outside the penalty area. According to reports from DAZN, the Inter bench was particularly angry, mainly because of Mariani’s reversal of the call, rather than the penalty that wasn’t awarded.
The second incident occurred in stoppage time, in the 94th minute, as Inter sought the winning goal. On a cross from Akanji, Valdepenas held Thuram back in the box, preventing him from breaking free. This time, Mariani had no doubts and pointed to the penalty spot. Once again, VAR confirmed the referee’s decision. Marelli explained why, in his opinion, the contact was punishable even though Thuram initially sought contact with the defender as well. “It’s true that Thuram also grabs his opponent’s jersey at first, but that’s part of the dynamics between forwards and defenders; then Valdepenas loses contact with the ball and focuses solely on holding back his opponent,” he noted.
Zielinski stepped up to take the penalty and, in the 97th minute, made no mistake, scoring the decisive 2-1 goal for Inter. Two incidents similar in context but assessed differently by Mariani: on Viery’s first challenge, the referee rescinded the penalty he had initially awarded, while on Valdepenas’s holding foul, he confirmed his decision without hesitation. For Marelli, however, the contact in the 68th minute should have warranted a penalty kick and a VAR review.
