More refereeing controversies in a start to the season full of errors. But something else also happened to Sinigaglia and the image went around the world.
It wasn’t a Sunday to be proud of, the one spent at Sinigaglia in Como. Innocent victim Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi, female referee making her second appearance in Serie A this season, dragged against her will into the refereeing case on the championship day and subjected to sexist insults from the Larian public. An ugly scene and a terrible image conveyed by the Italian championship around the world.
What happened on the pitch? It all happened just before the half hour mark of the first half when Milla, Como’s midfielder, visibly touched the ball with his wide arm. Penalty decreed without hesitation on the pitch by Ferrieri Caputi, however called for review at the VAR by the Cosso-Giua couple present in Lissone. On field review with very few regulatory connections, so much so that the same designer Orsato – present at Sinigaglia – would not have appreciated the intervention of the varisti and much less the referee’s decision to retrace his steps and cancel the penalty.
An evident error that adds to the long list of errors that is negatively impacting the start of the season, a sign of a refereeing class confused by the technical indications given by the commission and by Orsato. In any case, Ferrieri Caputi displeased everyone and Fabregas himself admitted that he did not understand the final choice. Livido Nicola, Venezia coach, for whom what happened in the VAR room will have to be explained by the AIA. Assuming it happens, given that every transparent communication channel has been closed.
And then the sexist insults clearly perceived even through the environmental microphones and thus ended up in the homes of all viewers. Bad image, a very provincial and retrograde step backwards. Ferrieri Caputi is the first woman to referee in Serie A and her debut dates back to October 2022. Evidently someone isn’t used to it yet.
