Former Serie A referee Luca Marelli feels that Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi has a valid complaint regarding a possible foul not long before Inter scored their first goal, but that it was not grounds to disallow the goal.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster DAZN after the match, the former official gave his thoughts on the challenge between Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and Sassuolo defender Gian Marco Ferrari.
Dionisi complained in an interview after this afternoon’s match that his team were hard done by in that the Nerazzurri had won the ball through a challenge of Calhanoglu on Ferrari shortly before the ball that he saw as a foul.
Marelli was inclined to say that the Neroverdi coach had a point about the incident.
However, the former referee also argued that it was not technically grounds for a VAR review to overturn the goal given when the incident occurred.
“It is not the action that gave rise to the goal, there was a subsequent corner,” he noted.
“But I agree with Dionisi,” Marelli then said, “in these cases there is usually a whistle if the defender goes down there, but this time Ferrari jumped from a standstill and Calhanoglu didn’t.”
“Usually a bridge is whistled in favour of the player who jumps,” he noted.
