Referee Gianpaolo Calvarese has come in for heavy criticism after his controversial performance during Inter’s 3-2 Derby d’Italia defeat to Juventus yesterday.
The Abruzzo-native endured a difficult afternoon in which he awarded three contentious penalties, issued a red card each to Rodrigo Bentancur and Marcelo Brozovic, and disallowed a Lautaro Martinez goal, before needing a VAR check to overrule a decision to initially chalk off a Giorgio Chiellini own goal.
As reported in today’s newspaper edition of La Repubblica, Calvarese’s troubles benefitted Juventus in their quest to secure Champions League qualification and that he lost control of the match as the mistakes mounted up.
The Rome-based newspaper likened his display to that of a comic film of veteran Italian actor Lando Buzzanca, with his mistakes adding to the plot.
“The league looks to the Bianconeri with a sarcastic smile, after a dramatic afternoon as only ridiculous plots can be. On the pitch there was a referee who, if he had a moustache, would have been Lando Buzzanca in ancient times, in an unforgettable film,” La Repubblica claimed.
“Poor Calvarese immediately lost the plot, he stacked VAR decisions on VAR decisions like fruit crates at the market, pushing too hard on Bentancur’s red card and on the extreme movement for Cuadrado.”
The newspaper suggested that Calvarese ruled out Martinez’s effort and Chiellini’s own goal in order to balance the play following earlier decisions, whilst maintaining their theme of being like a comedic drama.
“Even the decisions on Chiellini and Lautaro were probably rounded up by defect, and here psychodrama slips into vaudeville. Everything had happened, and their opposite too. All we needed is a handsome lover hidden in the closet,” La Repubblica added.