Story by Federico De Milano
The Serie A season has resumed, and the opening round has already seen refereeing controversies, particularly in the match between Genoa and Napoli. The Azzurri secured a 0-2 victory, but the hosts were left with significant grievances. In the post-match press conference, Diego Lopez, Genoa’s Chief of Football, criticised referee Di Bello’s decision to allow De Bruyne’s goal, which came after a push on Vasquez. ‘All of Italy saw what happened,’ explained the Rossoblù executive. ‘This referee was also on VAR last year for our game against Napoli, and we were already concerned. In football, you have to score to win, and until that point, Napoli hadn’t managed it.’ Further anger among the Genoa faithful was sparked by the referee’s actions – despite being well-positioned to spot the infringement, he made a gesture with his hand and whistle as if to signal a foul, but ultimately decided not to intervene.
Rossoblù coach Daniele De Rossi also didn’t hold back, launching a scathing attack in his press conference: ‘I think this time it’s quite clear. Last year we were here discussing a penalty, but that was something completely different. This year, there isn’t a single person in the world who doesn’t think that wasn’t a foul. I’ll stop there, also because I have a very positive view of the new direction [of refereeing], and I spoke with Orsato before the match. I believe there’s a need for collaboration, and we must provide it. However, I have a very negative view of what happened tonight; it’s one of the worst things I’ve seen since I’ve been in football. I’ve been on the receiving end of some [refereeing errors], and I’ve won some games due to them, but it’s better if I stop. In my opinion, Di Bello isn’t a bad referee. What happened tonight is different from anything I’ve experienced before. I hope to win some matches in this manner and have the strength to come to a press conference and admit that the victory was down to something else entirely.’
