Former Italian referee Luca Marelli has analysed the performance of Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi in last night’s 1-1 draw between Inter and Napoli in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals.
The report details how the game was largely managed well by Rocchi, with only a few points of true contention. The first is how Napoli claim that English full back Ashley Young should have been given a second yellow card for his foul on Matteo Politano. Whilst the former Manchester United man did foul the former Inter striker, it was not enough to justify a booking.
The second point of contention is the possible hand ball by Nerazzurri defender Stefan De Vrij in the 55th minute, the report continues. It was not a penalty, despite the fact that the player’s arm touched on the ball slightly, due to the fact that the 28-year-old’s arm was in a natural position and the way the ball travelled must be accounted for.
The only mistake made by Rocchi was in the 66th minute, the report continues. The Italian referee blocked the ball and stopped the game, returning to Napoli. The new rules suggest that he should have let it go considering that possession didn’t change and it didn’t trigger anything important in the game.
