Overview
- Speaking to Spain’s Marca, Fabio Capello argued VAR rooms rarely include former players and said this leads to misread incidents and incorrect decisions.
- Capello cited an unverified review he said was done with UEFA of 20 penalty calls that ex-players and ex-coaches deemed six penalties and 14 not.
- He contrasted Spain’s ongoing Negreira investigation with Italy’s Calciopoli, claiming Italy punished wrongdoing while Spain has not taken comparable action.
- Hours after the interview circulated, a formal note from Capello’s camp reframed his use of “mafia” as a comment on an insular culture and expressed respect for referees.
- His remarks have renewed calls to bring ex-players into VAR operations and to increase refereeing transparency and accountability in Italian football.