Two Italian senators have said they will bring forward a debate in the senate to reassure fans of Serie A’s “impartiality” following two controversial penalty decisions in games involving Napoli and Juventus.
In Wednesday’s early match, with Napoli leading Atalanta 2-1, Fernando Llorente had a strong penalty appeal turned down in the dying moments of the match before La Dea broke down the other end and equalised.
While, later on, Juve were being held 1-1 by Genoa before Cristiano Ronaldo earned what looked like a soft spot-kick before dispatching the penalty himself to earn all three points.
Gianni Pittella, of the centre-left party PD, wrote that he and Gaetano Quagliariello, of the centre-right Identity and Action and Identity party, alongside other politicians will present the debate in the Senate.
In a lengthy Facebook post, he wrote that in the 85th minute, referee Piero Giacomelli “failed to award a blatant penalty” in Napoli’s match against Atalanta and that “two hours later, during Juventus-Genoa, the home side was awarded a penalty which was much less obvious.”
He also questioned why Giacomelli refused to take a look at the VAR monitor on the side of the pitch, as is the custom in Serie A.
Pittella also pointed out that Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti “considered among the best in the world for league titles and Champions League trophies won in Italy, France, England, Spain and Germany said afterwards: ‘I feel disappointed and offended in my profession.'”
He also referenced quotes by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis who, after the match said he had “had enough” and that without them [club presidents], referees would be “peeling potatoes.”