Italy’s referee chief has suspended himself following an investigation into sports fraud

The man responsible for appointing Serie A and B referees, Gianluca Rocchi, has suspended himself with immediate effect while he is under investigation for sports fraud by Milan’s public prosecutor’s office.

VAR supervisor Andrea Gervasoni has taken similar action for the same reasons, with the investigation focusing on incidents during last season’s Serie A campaign.

“This choice, painful, difficult but shared with my family, is intended to ensure the smooth running of the legal process, from which I am sure I will emerge unscathed and stronger than before,” Rocchi’s statement to the Italian Referee Association (AIA) read.

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According to Italian media reports, Rocchi has been accused of interfering with VAR protocols and selecting referees in preference to Inter Milan.

“We learn everything from the media, so we are stunned by the statements,” Inter president Giuseppe Marotta said. Air sports before his side’s match against Torino on Sunday.

«We have no referees that we favor or look unfavorably on; we are confident that we have acted completely fairly, which should reassure everyone. We are safe in the knowledge that Inter are not involved in this situation and will not be involved in the future,» he added.

The news has sparked fears in Italy of a new crisis similar to the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, which saw Juventus stripped of the 2004-05 Serie A title and relegated to Serie B, with AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina also involved.

Published on April 26, 2026