Serie A referee designator Gianluca Rocchi has admitted that referee Federico La Penna was “clearly wrong” in showing Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu a second yellow card during Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Inter Milan and issued an apology over the incident.
Kalulu was sent off after Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni went to the ground and immediately gestured to the referee, claiming Kalulu had pulled his shirt. Television footage, however, suggested there was no contact between the players.
Juventus, reduced to 10 men following the sending-off, ultimately lost the match, allowing Inter to extend their lead to eight points at the top of the league.
“We are very sorry about the incident, about La Penna’s decision, which was clearly wrong, and about the fact that VAR could not be used to rectify it,” Rocchi told Italian news agency ANSA.
“La Penna is mortified and we are close to him, but I have to tell you the truth: he is not the only one who made a mistake, because yesterday there was clear simulation.”
Kalulu made the VAR gesture to protest his dismissal, but league protocol prevents VAR intervention in yellow card situations, including second yellows that lead to sending-offs.
Following the match, Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti and director Giorgio Chiellini confronted La Penna in the tunnel.
“Something completely unacceptable happened today. It doesn’t matter whether it happens to us or someone else, and from tomorrow presumably VAR will have to change, because it is not acceptable that so many errors keep happening even in big games like this,” Chiellini told Sky Italia.
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