Italian Journalist Slams Inter Milan Vs Fiorentina Referee Over Controversial Spot-Kick Decision: “Never A Penalty” | OneFootball

Riccardo Trevisani blasted referee Federico La Penna after a harsh penalty in Monday’s game between Inter Milan and Fiorentina.

Speaking as a guest on Cronache di Spogliatoio via FCInter1908, the Italian journalist offered his verdict on La Penna’s gross errors.

Federico La Penna was the architect of a 2-1 scoreline at the San Siro earlier this week.

Indeed, his decisions contributed to the final score, with one mistake on each side gifting goals to both teams.

Simone Inzaghi’s side took the lead from an unexisting corner kick.

Instead of giving Fiorentina a goal kick, La Penna allowed Inter to take a set-piece, which resulted in Marin Pongracic’s own goal.

However, he took matters into his own hands again toward the end of the first half to make amends for his mistake.

Matteo Darmian handled the ball inside Inter’s box and was close to getting away before VAR interfered.

Though La Penna refused to award a penalty to Fiorentina at first glance, he changed his mind after reviewing the incident.

For most referees, it wouldn’t be a sanctionable handball.

But for the 41-year-old, it was.

Riccardo Trevisani Blasts Federico La Penna After Poor Inter Milan vs Fiorentina Refereeing

“It was a mistake to think that VAR could solve all problems,” Trevisani started.

“No, before there were 300 errors per season; now, with VAR, maybe there are 60.

FERRARA, ITALY – OCTOBER 27: Referee Federico La Penna gestures during the Serie A match between SPAL and SSC Napoli at Stadio Paolo Mazza on October 27, 2019 in Ferrara, Italy. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

“But you can’t bring it to zero because interpretation will always exist in football.

“What is VAR for? I agree with much of Giuseppe’s argument – not about increasing VAR, but about clarifying when it should and can intervene.

“Today, Inter-Fiorentina ended 1-0 with a goal from Arnautovic, but the first two goals shouldn’t have counted.

“The first because the ball was out, the second because it wasn’t a penalty – just like Gatti’s wasn’t.

“If Darmian hadn’t touched it, the ball would have gone out for a goal kick, so no real impact on play.

“A penalty should only be given for stopping a clear goal-scoring chance, but that’s not what happened.

“Too often, referees fail to grasp the footballing logic behind decisions, focusing instead on technicalities to justify their calls.

“The real issue, as Pastor pointed out, is that officials themselves justify these mistakes.

“This erodes credibility among coaches, players, and even referees.

“When audios disappear and inconsistent explanations emerge – Gatti’s isn’t a penalty, Darmian’s is – it creates confusion.

“Either they are both penalties, or neither is.

“Decisions shouldn’t depend on what the referee initially called,” he concluded.