Italian Referee Chief Gianluca Rocchi Under Investigation for Sports Fraud
Gianluca Rocchi, the head of Italy's Serie A and Serie B referees, has been placed under investigation by the Milan Prosecutor's Office for alleged complicity in sports fraud. The probe, which has sent shockwaves through Italian football, is centered on officiating incidents from two matches, including a controversial penalty decision in an Udinese-Parma fixture last season and a pivotal, unpunished foul in Inter's 2-1 victory over Hellas Verona on January 8, 2024.
The Verona match has become a focal point of the investigation. In that game, Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni appeared to strike Verona's Ondrej Duda with an elbow in the build-up to Inter's winning goal, scored by Davide Frattesi. The incident was not penalized by on-field referee Michael Fabbri, nor was it corrected by the VAR officials, led by video assistant referee Marco Nasca. According to leaked audio published by Italian media, Nasca was heard exclaiming "Blow the whistle, for f***'s sake!" upon seeing a player go down, but the review subsequently shifted to a potential offside check, and the goal was allowed to stand.
Fabbri later explained his decision by suggesting Duda had engaged in gamesmanship, stating the player "gets up, looks at me and then goes back down, that's cunning." This interpretation was fiercely contested by Verona at the time and is now under legal scrutiny. The club's then-manager Marco Baroni and sporting director Sean Sogliano delivered scathing post-match critiques, with Sogliano suggesting someone "higher up than the VAR" might have decided the goal should stand, a comment that now carries significant weight given the fraud investigation.
Rocchi himself had previously addressed the controversy in a fiery defense of his officials at a referees' summit in Coverciano. He stated that insinuations about the match had been passed to the Italian Football Federation's (FIGC) legal team and defended the subjective nature of the call, while admitting to expected errors in a system investing in young referees. "We are decent people," Rocchi said. "If the problem is me, I am ready to step aside."
The investigation raises profound questions about the integrity and operation of the VAR system in Italy's top flight. Prosecutors are examining whether there was any deliberate manipulation or undue influence in the officiating process that could constitute fraud. While no formal charges have been brought, the mere opening of an investigation into such a senior figure casts a long shadow over the league's administrative and officiating bodies.
The outcome of this legal proceeding could have major implications for the leadership of Italian refereeing and public trust in the sport's fairness. For now, Rocchi remains in his role as designator, but the FIGC is likely to face mounting pressure to provide transparency as the Milan prosecutors continue their work.
