Former Serie A referee Graziano Cesari feels that the error made by official Juan Luca Sacchi that denied Inter a goal against Monza on Saturday is one of the worst mistakes in Serie A since VAR was introduced.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster SportMediaset, via FCInter1908, the former official noted how the way that the situation was handled by Sacchi went against the protocols for the use of VAR completely.
In and of itself, it was not a major error for Sacchi to think that he had spotted a foul by an Inter player on a Monza in the penalty moments before Acerbi’s header on target.
The referee had an obstructed view of the situation, which was playing out quickly in a crowded space, and believing that he’d spotted an Inter foul was a reasonable mistake to make.
However, these are exactly the sorts of scenarios that the video assistant referee is in place to correct, in theory.
Accordingly, the fact that Sacchi whistled immediately was precisely a serious error because he did not give the situation time to develop and then be reviewed by the video assistant in the event that this became necessary.
“There is obvious embarrassment, but there’s also a lot of disappointment and bitterness because this was one of the most serious errors since VAR has been introduced,” Cesari argued.
“Whistling before the end of the action means going totally against the way things have been done over the past five years,” he added.
Cesari compared the situation to that of referee Marco Serra, who didn’t give an advantage to Milan moments before the Rossoneri appeared to have scored a goal against Spezia last season.
“It’s a totally different case,” he said, “Serra decided not to grant an advantage in that case, he didn’t whistle beforehand and was punished for seven months.”
“Sacchi’s is a gross error,” Cesari argued, “he was totally wrong.”
“Serra’s issue was that he didn’t apply the advantage rule,” he said. “In both cases, the referee appears to anxious to make a decision.”
