Referee Livio Marinelli has been praised for his handling of yesterday afternoon’s Serie A match between Inter and Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, give the official particular credit for the fact that he did not decide to give a penalty at either end of the pitch despite some appeals from the players.
Marinelli largely did not have his hands full in yesterday afternoon’s match at the Castellani, as it was not as though either set of players became particularly agitated or the action ever threatened to boil over.
However, the Gazzetta argues, the referee got the small things right to keep the tempo of the match running along fairly smoothly and briskly.
It was not a match with an excessive number of fouls in it, and Marinelli blew his whistle a total of nineteen times, with thirteen of the fouls having been committed by Nerazzurri players.
Whilst the official did not hesitate to sanction these fouls, he did not look to be overly hasty to blow his whistle, helping the match move along.
There were, however, two potential penalty incidents, but in both cases the match official made immediately clear that he had no interest in pointing to the spot, which the Gazzetta see as having been exactly the right decision to assert his authority.
Empoli wanted a penalty after the ball appeared to have struck the hand of Inter wingback Raoul Bellanova in the penalty area.
However, Marinelli did not give a penalty for the incident, in which the ball had to awkwardly deflect off the wingback’s leg before hitting his hand, which was right up against his body.
Meanwhile, Nerazzurri forward Joaquin Correa wanted a penalty for a heavy challenge by Empoli fullback Tyronne Ebuehi, although Marinelli had no interest once again, and in the view of the Gazzetta rightly again.
