Serie A Referee Mauro Bergonzi: “Baschirotto’s Challenge On Lautaro A Red Card, Inter Should’ve Had Penalty For Shirt Pull On Dzeko” | OneFootball

Former Serie A referee Mauro Bergonzi believes that the heavy challenge by Lecce defender Federico Baschirotto on Inter striker Lautaro Martinez was worthy of a red card.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster SportMediaset, the former official gave his reason for thinking that the foul was worthy of more than a booking, and also argued that the Nerazzurri should have been awarded a penalty late in the match.

Inter players appealed to the referee to send Baschirotto off following a two-footed tackle which left Martinez on the ground, but official Alessandro Prontera opted to give the 25-year-old just a yellow card rather than a straight red.

Prontera disagrees with this decision, stating that “With challenges that jeopardize the safety of a player, for me it’s always a red card. It’s a very bad tackle and it deserved red, no ifs, ands, or buts.”

“He could have done real damage to Lautaro’s tibia, and so the VAR must intervene here,” he continued, “the referee must be told to go look at the screen given how serious the foul is, the players have to be protected.”

Bergonzi also feels that the shirt-pull by Lecce defender Alexis Blin on Inter striker Edin Dzeko late on in the match would have warranted a penalty.

“In the 85th minute there’s a tussle in the area between Blin and Dzeko,” he analyzed, “who goes down and appeals for a penalty, but the referee waves it away.”

“The defender holds onto to his shirt and you can see how much the shirt is pulled and how this causes the attacker to fall,” he explained. “So for me he’s not defending legally.”