Italian Referee Chief Rocchi Investigated for Sporting Fraud
Gianluca Rocchi, the head of Italy's referee designators, has been placed under formal investigation for alleged sporting fraud and has immediately suspended himself from his role. The notification of the investigation was delivered to Rocchi on the morning of April 25, 2026, and he is scheduled to be questioned by the Milan Prosecutor's Office on April 30, according to reports from the Italian news agency AGI.
Rocchi, responsible for appointing referees and VAR officials to Serie A and Serie B matches, confirmed the investigation via a statement to ANSA. He declared himself innocent and stated he would defend himself to dismantle the accusations. "I am sure I have always acted correctly and I have full confidence in the judiciary," Rocchi said. He added that, in agreement with the Italian Referees' Association (AIA), he decided to self-suspend to allow the group of match officials to operate in serenity during the judicial process.
The investigation, led by prosecutor Maurizio Ascione, focuses on alleged interference in VAR operations during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. According to the allegations reported by Italian media, the charges center on three specific incidents. The first is the alleged orchestration of the referee appointment for Bologna-Inter on April 20, 2025. The second accuses Rocchi of manipulating the appointment for a Coppa Italia semi-final to influence who could referee the final. The third and most prominent allegation involves the Udinese-Parma match on March 1, 2025.
In that match, a video circulated by AGI appears to show VAR official Luigi Paterna turning to speak through the transparent glass of the VAR room in Lissone to someone outside before referee Marco Maresca was called to the monitor for an on-field review, leading to a penalty award. The original sporting complaint was filed in May 2025 by former assistant referee Domenico Rocca, who alleged Rocchi had knocked on the glass to get the VAR officials' attention. That sporting complaint was previously archived, but the matter has now been revived on a criminal level.
Rocchi's lawyer, Antonio D'Avirro, told ANSA his client contests the charges but needs time to study the case files. The AIA had previously responded to the initial allegations by sending federal inspectors to Lissone to ensure no external interference occurred during matches. The investigation casts a shadow over the integrity of Italy's VAR system and its management at a time when the technology's application is already under intense scrutiny. The case continues as the prosecutor's office prepares its formal interrogation.
