“It's a war now.” The VAR and the referees, still under the spotlight. Two Italian Cup matches, Lazio-Roma and Milan-Atalanta, and other controversies. In the end, two penalties decided the quarter-finals played today and in the coaches' post-match comments there was ample space for slow motion, episodes, recriminations and controversies.
Josè Mourinho begins, forced to comment on yet another derby lost by his Roma. “Today we lose due to a penalty from modern football, from VAR. It is a penalty that without VAR the referee would not have given. The players of 10 or 20 years ago would not have thrown themselves in that way”, says the Special One commenting on the foul by baby Huijsen on Castellanos, sanctioned by referee Orsato after a quick check to the VAR. “The goal we conceded is a bit ridiculous. The first action was our throw-in, it's not possible for us to do what we did. In matches of this type, whoever takes the lead and plays at home is the favourite. The balls disappear. The team that scores first with Orsato then wins”, he says with a jab at the Schio referee.
Second match, referee Di Bello directs Milan-Atalanta and displeases everyone. Gasperini, the Nerazzurri coach, was sent off after claiming a penalty in the first half. “The episode for which I was sent off? I have little to say, it seems very obvious to me. VAR is an extraordinary tool if used well, but here it is becoming a war between varsity players and referees. It is not clear who referees and this is a big problem because there is a disparity in interventions, there is no certainty. There I asked to go to the VAR”, says the coach from Bergamo to Mediaset. “And then I have to say that Di Bello is very rude, we have a history with him and with Valeri who was at VAR. But at the end of every match I reset and delete everything. Before the match he passed me and didn't he didn't even say hello. He doesn't have to but he's rude,” he adds.
Stefano Pioli, AC Milan coach, comes to the microphones. The Rossoneri protested the penalty awarded to Atalanta for Jimenez's tackle on Miranchuk: the Rossoneri winger touches the ball, which is a penalty for the referee. In the last action of the match, in the Orobic area, Holm's touch of the hand: no whistle, no VAR.” The touch of the hand on the last play? It's difficult to see, so it seems strange to me that the referee wasn't called back to monitor at least to see it”, says Pioli. “But it's the penalty given to Atalanta that changes the game and it wasn't there. It wasn't there because Jimenez touches the ball first, the Atalanta player throws himself before the contact”, says the coach. And Rafa Leao, the Rossoneri star, agrees with him, commenting on the key episode on X with a laconic post: “Incredible”.
#LazioRoma #MilanAtalanta #War #referees #VAR
