Latest news with #Empoli-Milan
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fabregas weighs in on refereeing controversies: ‘All coaches in agreement'
Cesc Fabregas is the latest coach to express his views on the recent refereeing controversies in Serie A, as he feels that there is an issue with VAR and its protocols rather than with the officials themselves. The 24th round of Serie A fixtures were marred by a handful of refereeing blunders, including the decision to send Fikayo Tomori off in Empoli-Milan for a second bookable offence on a player who was offside, and the decision to award Inter a corner when the ball was out of play, which led to the first goal in an eventual 2-1 win for the Nerazzurri against Fiorentina. Fiorentina coach Rafaelle Palladino hit out at the VAR protocol after full-time in Inter-Fiorentina on Monday night, while Simone Inzaghi also admitted that the ball had crossed the line, but felt that Inter have also had their fair share of refereeing decisions go against them this season. Italian Referees' Association President Antonio Zappi has also recently admitted that he is 'not satisfied' with the way that the current VAR protocol has been implemented. Fabregas, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Como's game against Fiorentina, also admitted that he has not been pleased with the VAR protocol in Serie A. 'I always try to not talk about the referees, I respect their work a lot, and I know how difficult it is,' Fabregas began, reported via 'I say what I say because of at least five incidents in a row that went against us. Seeing the protests of all the other coaches, I also queued up. I wanted to raise my voice a bit, I hope it's the last time I do it, even though I think that's impossible. 'I think the problem is not the referee, but how the VAR intervenes. There are too many similar incidents interpreted differently. I often talk to the other coaches after games, and I can say that we are all more or less in agreement.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Inter vs. Fiorentina controversy called ‘the death of football'
The fallout from last night's controversial Inter victory over Fiorentina continues, with pundits saying the Viola 'should've walked off the field' and another calling it 'the death of football.' The incident in question was the opening goal scored from a corner that should not have been awarded, as the ball had already crossed the line by at least 20 centimetres. This is an area where VAR is not allowed to intervene because of the limitations of the protocol, so while it was undoubtedly an error by the assistant referee, it could not be corrected. Nonetheless, it has caused a firestorm, especially on the back of other controversial incidents throughout Serie A Week 24 during Empoli-Milan, Como-Juventus and Torino-Genoa. Referring to the Turkish Super Lig situation where Adana Demirspor walked off in protest at a controversial Galatasaray penalty call last week, journalist Dario Baldini told that Fiorentina should've followed suit. 'Fiorentina should've walked off and left the field, let Inter play against the Inter youth team and take the 3-0 defeat. Either way, they end up empty-handed, but then we avoid the show of Inzaghi in the press conference. 'I think Raffaele Palladino must have a great mental coach to stay calm, because I would've been enraged. In 2025, this cannot happen.' As this result closes the gap at the top of the Serie A table to just one point, it also angered Napoli and journalist Carlo Alvino was even stronger in his criticism on 'Inter-Fiorentina marks the death of Italian football. It is not about Napoli and Inter challenging for the Scudetto, but if someone wants to cultivate passion for this sport, then what was seen in Inter-Fiorentina killed it. 'It falsifies a match that indirectly also falsifies an entire title race. Even those who don't believe in conspiracies will start to have a few suspicions after that. 'I have been following football for too many years not to understand that there are some directors and some clubs who have more weight than others. This is the naked truth. 'What we saw in Milan was one of the ugliest pages of Italian football in recent years.' Alvino also targeted the media, which he declared was 'a dictatorship, as the press representing the regime didn't join Antonio Conte in his battle to change the protocol, but rather attacked him as a victim. 'How strange, after Inter-Napoli, Inzaghi said he didn't want to talk about referees. After the derby, he suddenly changed his attitude. It's the protagonists who harm football too, not just referees and VAR who seem to work only on alternate days. 'We have seen decisions that change depending on what jersey you are wearing. For example, in Como-Juventus, when the VAR said one thing and the AVAR said another.' This is referring to the debate inside the VAR booth on whether or not Federico Gatti's fingertips brushing the ball was sufficient for a penalty. In the DAZN studio, the representative of the referee's association confirmed they did not consider it to be a handball offence worthy of a spot-kick.
