Gianluca Rocchi, the coordinator of the referees, rarely gives public remarks, but he often leaks his opinions to the press. After a pair of solid rounds, in his mind, he was hugely disappointed with Fabio Maresca in Roma-Milan. The official will sit out a matchday or two as a punishment, Sky Sport reports.
His performance was highly dissatisfying according to Rocchi. The contact between Roger Ibanez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic should not have led to a penalty kick. The suggestion by VAR assistant Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni to look at it was correct as it was potentially a clear mistake. But Maresca stuck with his initial decision after going to the monitor.
Roma claimed a similar foul by Simon Kjaer on Lorenzo Pellegrini late in the game. Rocchi deemed it too weak and not a VAR-worthy situation, although it was an inconsistent call. Moreover, the action that led to Theo Hernandez’s red card should have stopped for a tackle on Rade Krunic. Therefore, the decisions by Maresca left both sides unhappy.
José Mourinho was fuming in the post-game: “I congratulate Milan, and I do not want to say anything about the referee. Otherwise, I will not be on the bench next week. There was a blatant lack of disrespect for Roma fans today. This is enough.”
Rocchi had to deal with plenty of controversies to open the season. On top of Maresca, a few other veteran officials have had subpar displays, while the youngsters have fared better. The coordinator would also like to see fewer ticky-tack penalty calls.