Overview
- Referees’ chief Gianluca Rocchi acknowledged a clear mistake by Federico La Penna on Pierre Kalulu’s second yellow and criticized Alessandro Bastoni for a “clear simulation,” noting VAR could not intervene under current rules.
- La Penna is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, with Italian media reporting a two-to-four week stop after the San Siro incident.
- IFAB’s Feb. 28 assembly in Cardiff is widely expected to approve VAR reviews for second-yellow incidents, with potential World Cup use and later domestic adoption reported.
- FIGC president Gabriele Gravina spoke with Rocchi as pressure mounts for protocol changes; Juventus executives Giorgio Chiellini and Damien Comolli confronted officials, and heated scenes were recorded in the tunnel at halftime.
- Justice Minister Carlo Nordio described the CSM’s dynamics as “para‑mafioso,” drawing formal rebukes from the magistrates’ association and opposition leaders, while FdI’s Galeazzo Bignami said the party will collect signatures urging UN official Francesca Albanese to resign.