Milan should have had a penalty – actually, they should have had two. That’s what refereeing boss Gianluca Rocchi admitted after Sunday’s controversial 1-0 win over Bologna, where VAR official Michael Fabbri completely botched one of the season’s biggest calls.
What really happened is that Christopher Nkunku came off the bench and, within 52 seconds, found himself bulldozed twice in Bologna’s box. First, Jhon Lucumi shoved him from behind – seemingly clear foul, obvious penalty. Then Remo Freuler stuck out a leg as Nkunku tried to recover. Referee Matteo Marcenaro pointed to the spot for the second challenge, but then VAR stepped in.
The audio tells the whole story – Fabbri kept repeating the same thing: “His foot is on the ground. Freuler does nothing.” He said it over and over, pushing Marcenaro to overturn the penalty. But the thing is that Fabbri never even mentioned Lucumi’s first foul, he just ignored it completely. The VAR team showed Marcenaro only the Freuler incident on the monitor, not the push that started it all.
American fans watching this chaos surely know exactly why Serie A attracts so much attention from bettors. The league’s wild swings and controversial moments make a perfect chance for those using Nevada sports betting online platforms. Just look at last season – Napoli won the title at +300 odds, beating Inter by a single point. Such dramatic referee decisions can flip results and shake up the entire betting landscape, which explains why Italian football remains impressively popular with US bettors who can now legally wager on these matches.
FIGC president Gabriele Gravina didn’t mince words: “This is an obvious mistake.” Now Michael Fabbri faces suspension from VAR duties for many games – and Marcenaro might get rotated out of upcoming fixtures as well. Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani reportedly got on the phone with league officials and refereeing authorities after the match, asking for answers.
The numbers make this even worse for Serie A, though. Premier League refs cut their VAR errors from 31 to just 18 last season – but at the same time, Italy’s dealing with situations like this. Former referee Luca Marelli called it perfectly: “The serious mistake was made by VAR.” He explained that Lucumi’s push alone warranted a penalty and probably a red card since Nkunku had a clear path to the goal.
Max Allegri lost it, obviously. The Milan coach got himself sent off after unleashing on the fourth official – jacket thrown, arms waving, the whole show. He’ll miss the next match from a touchline ban, but honestly, who blames him? As fans pointed out online, 80,000 people in San Siro saw two penalties, yet the referee missed both.
This wasn’t Milan’s only penalty shout either. Earlier in the match, someone hauled down Adrien Rabiot in the third minute – should’ve been a red card. Christian Pulisic got pulled down in the box as well. Italian media counted three penalties Milan should’ve had.
The Open VAR broadcast on DAZN revealed just how badly the situation was handled. Rocchi explained the proper protocol: show the referee everything, let him judge both incidents. Instead, they looked at one challenge while pretending the other didn’t exist. That was not just a mistake, it exposed a fundamental breakdown of the system.
Milan won 1-0 thanks to Luka Modric’s goal but this mess overshadows everything. Serie A wants to compete with the Premier League and La Liga, but episodes like this make the league look amateur.