The performance of referee Antonio Rapuano in the recent Verona-Juventus match has not been appreciated by the leadership of the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA).
According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Rapuano could be “demoted” to Serie B for several matches. His work was already under fire during the game and in the immediate aftermath, with Verona manager Igor Tudor describing the officiating as “shameful.”
Two specific incidents have been at the center of the controversy. The first was the penalty awarded to Verona for a handball by Joao Mario.
The decision has been criticized because the contact was considered “unavoidable,” and the player could not have seen the ball coming.
The second, and even more serious, incident involved a yellow card given to Gift Orban of Verona for an elbow to the face of Juventus’s Federico Gatti during an aerial duel.
Despite a VAR review, the card was not upgraded, although many believe the action constituted “violent conduct” and should have resulted in a red card, similar to recent cases involving Pierre Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz, who received two-match suspensions for similar fouls.
While the on-field decisions cannot be reversed, it is expected that Rapuano will be out of Serie A for a while.
