Former referee Luca Marelli has examined some of the main incidents referee Gianluca Manganiello had to deal with in Inter’s 1-1 draw with Cagliari, beginning with Lautaro Martinez’s opening goal.
“There was nothing wrong with Lautaro’s goal, the contact that occurred is normal. There is really nothing to see. The two minute interruption was due to a connection failure between the VAR room and Manangiello but it was not a clear and obvious mistake,” he began an interview with Italian radio station Radio 24.
He then shared his thoughts on Romelu Lukaku’s tackle which he was given a yellow for despite Cagliari players protesting it should have been red.
“A red card would have been excessive but it is certainly a yellow card.”
He also touched upon the incident that saw Ashley Young fouled in the box but no penalty was given.
“You can see from the replays that Oliva was not interested in the ball and was looking to take out Young. Had the penalty been given, nothing could have been said.”
Next he discussed Lautaro Martinez’s sending off right at the end.
“He did not even come into contact with the defender. He had to let it go but then he completely lost the plot. Manganiello’s reaction suggests that what the Argentine said must have been very harsh.”
In conclusion he touched upon Andrea Ranocchia who appeared to spit at the fourth official.
“It is bad to see, especially from a player like him. It was really bad, but he will already be regretting it.”
