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AC Milan’s CEO Giorgio Furlani ‘defended the club’ by making a call after the refereeing controversy in the win over Bologna.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall, Christopher Nkunku came off the bench and within 52 seconds he won a penalty that could have doubled Milan’s lead against Bologna on Sunday evening. The referee Marcenaro and the VAR chief Fabbri took much longer to do the wrong thing.
Fabbri called the referee to the monitor to see the contact between Freuler and Nkunku (for which Marcenaro had pointed the spot) and not the previous one (clear foul from Lucumi, worthy of a penalty). Result: no penalty, but massive protests.
The Rossoneri’s response
Furlani ‘immediately took action to defend the club’, as per the paper. After the match, he contacted the refereeing authorities. At the same time, he pointed out the injustice to the presidents of the Lega Serie A, Ezio Simonelli, and the FIGC, Gabriele Gravina. Both acknowledged their mistake.
Fabbri will be suspended for a couple of games from being in the VAR room, however he can referee. Marcenaro meanwhile will not take charge of a Serie A game in the next round, but is because of ‘rotation’ rather than any suspension.
The incident didn’t affect the result in the end, but it did affect other aspects. An enraged Massimiliano Allegri threw off his jacket, and the protest earned him a one-match ban. He will not be able to sit in the dugout on Saturday in Udine.
Milan’s dialogue with the institutions has been constructive, and the club emphasises that its position is not only to protect the Rossoneri, but also the integrity and fairness of the entire competition. The acknowledgement of the error by the AIA and the FIGC is also appreciated for this reason.
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