The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) faces a deepening crisis within its refereeing establishment after the Sports Guarantee Board confirmed a 13-month ban for Italian Referees Association (AIA) president Antonio Zappi, forcing his automatic removal from office. The decision, handed down late on Monday, paves the way for the AIA to be placed under commissionership by the FIGC. Simultaneously, the criminal investigation into alleged sporting fraud by former head of referees Gianluca Rocchi advanced, with Milan prosecutors claiming to have identified individuals from the refereeing world who met with Rocchi at San Siro on April 2.
Zappi's appeal sought to overturn the initial suspension levied last December, but the panel rejected his lawyer's request for a postponement linked to the separate criminal probe. With the ban exceeding 12 months, federation rules mandate his dismissal. Upon leaving the hearing, Zappi expressed his disappointment, stating he had been "wounded" by being described as "abusive" and "disloyal" in his functions. He indicated he would consider seeking damages and evaluating further legal steps, while also expressing solidarity with Rocchi and supervisor Andrea Gervasoni, who are also under investigation.
The parallel investigation by the Milan Prosecutor's Office, led by magistrate Giuseppe Ascione, is focusing on Rocchi's alleged manipulation of referee appointments. Prosecutors believe they have identified the individuals Rocchi was speaking with during a key meeting at San Siro on April 2. According to the inquiry, Rocchi allegedly orchestrated the appointments of Andrea Colombo for a Bologna-Inter league match and Daniele Doveri for an Inter-Milan Coppa Italia semi-final. Rocchi's lawyer, Antonio D'Avirro, has stated his client will not comply with a summons for questioning on Thursday, citing an inability to mount an effective defense without access to the case files.
The scandal is rooted in testimonies from 29 current and former Serie A and B referees, some of whom described a "Rocchi system" where the designator was in constant, forbidden contact with club officials for personal gain. One specific incident under scrutiny is the so-called "Paterna case," where an intervention from the VAR booth corrected a clear penalty error. Rocchi's defense argues this action preserved sporting fairness rather than altering a match result.
Amid the turmoil, the FIGC itself is in a period of transition, with outgoing president Gabriele Gravina set to appear on a television talk show on Wednesday. Serie C clubs are scheduled to meet the two candidates for the federation presidency, Giancarlo Abete and Giovanni Malagò, on May 8. Meanwhile, Dino Tommasi, the new head of the National Referees Committee (CAN), has publicly expressed solidarity with Rocchi and Gervasoni, emphasizing the refereeing group's intent to conclude the season with stability.
The confirmed suspension of Zappi and the escalating criminal probe create unprecedented instability at the heart of Italian football's refereeing structure. The likely commissionership of the AIA represents a direct intervention by the FIGC to regain control, while the ongoing judicial investigation threatens to reveal further systemic issues. The immediate focus will be on appointing new leadership to oversee refereeing and restoring credibility to a system now under intense legal and sporting scrutiny.
