2 weeks ago
9
There was a big moment of controversy towards the end of AC Milan’s win over Fiorentina, and it was what ended up being the game-deciding call.
Having equalised through Rafael Leao following Robin Gosens’ opener, Milan were given a spot kick in the final 10 minutes of a game that they eventually won 2-1 to go top of the table, and it has ignited a lot of controversy.
As Santiago Gimenez went for a second bite at a cross he went down having been pulled back by Fabiano Parisi, at least in the eyes of the VAR chief who recommended the referee look at his original non-penalty call.
Fiorentina have already spoken out publicly against the decision to award a spot kick, with sporting director Daniele Prade calling it ‘scandalous’ while under-fire head coach Stefano Pioli stated that it encourages players to dive. But how have the Italian media reacted?
Media reaction
We start with La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) who assess the incident as follows: “Everything in the 80th minute (37 seconds): Marinelli appears to be covered, Parisi sees Gimenez’s precise position, and it’s clear that – to prevent the Milan player from gaining possession – the Viola extends his right arm, touches the attacker’s face with his hand, and applies a restraining gesture, but it’s subtle.
“Marinelli, who has previously made decisions on the pitch, is called to VAR. The announcement comes at 84’20”: penalty and yellow.”
👀 In your opinion, was a penalty the right call?
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) October 19, 2025
Refereeing expert Luca Marelli agrees with Fiorentina’s anger over the penalty, because he states that it was ‘outside the protocol’ of VAR, because it was not a ‘clear and obvious error’.
“There isn’t even really a shirt tug, it is simply Parisi’s hand on Gimenez’s neck. In my view, if the penalty is awarded on the field, then you can feel hard done by, but ultimately have to accept it,” he said on DAZN (via Football Italia).
“However, if the referee sees it and does not give a penalty, then there simply is not sufficient reason for an On-Field Review. In my view, this VAR call was outside the protocol.”
Gianpaolo Calvarese – a former referee – commented on the incident with an explanatory video on his social media profiles. The expert believes that real-time assessment is different from VAR.
“Watching the live broadcast, I thought it was a clear penalty based on the dynamics. The Fiorentina defender, seeing himself outplayed, tried to hold him back. If Marinelli had whistled for it on the pitch, all things considered, I think it would have been a reasonable decision given the dynamics.
However, he also added: “I think the VAR’s call to the monitor was excessive. It certainly wasn’t a foul to the face, and if we analyse the holding, it seems too slight to warrant an on-field review.”
Corriere dello Sport gave the referee Marinelli a 4.5 rating, adding: “The penalty incident was a defining moment in Marinelli’s match. A hand grazed (no punch, no violence) across his face, a scene with plenty of special effects for the Rossoneri player (who, despite the terrible blow, tried to kick Ranieri, who was telling him not to simulate).
“Overall, the Tivoli-born referee wasn’t exactly spot-on, making a lot of mistakes: after the clash between Gabbia and Ricci (who remained on the ground complaining of a blow to the head), Marinelli gave the ball back to Milan, but Nicolussi Caviglia had reached the ball (a second after it was blocked).
“Or again, he didn’t give Leão an advantage, awarding a free kick for the Rossoneri, only to apologize later. And the missed yellow (if he had dug a little deeper it would have been a red) on Modric?”
TuttoSport and Corriere della Sera gave Marinelli’s performance the same rating, deserving a 5. The opinion is therefore the same as the other papers: the referee was not good enough, and the penalty was at the very least generous.
English (US) ·