Italy

Soccer: Italian Referee Chief Suspended in Fraud Probe

Is Italian soccer facing a massive corruption scandal or are the allegations against Rocchi baseless and unproven?

Published APR 27

Soccer: Italian Referee Chief Suspended in Fraud Probe

Story

Above: Gianluca Rocchi at Stadio Benito Stirpe in Frosinone, Italy on April 25, 2025. Image credit: Fabio Patamia/Getty Images

The Facts

Gianluca Rocchi, the Italian soccer referee designator for Serie A and Serie B, suspended himself from his role after being placed under criminal investigation by Milan prosecutors for alleged sporting fraud. Supervisor Andrea Gervasoni also suspended himself after being placed under investigation for the same charge.
guardian
The Straits Times
Rocchi is accused of knocking on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room door during the Udinese-Parma match on March 1, 2025, allegedly pressuring officials to recommend an on-field review of a handball. Udinese were awarded a penalty and won the match 1-0, with Florian Thauvin scoring the only goal.
talkSPORT
ESPN
Prosecutors are also examining Rocchi's alleged selection of referees favorable to Inter Milan, including the appointment of a referee for Inter's match at Bologna in April 2025. No Inter staff or club employees have been named among the investigated parties.
CBS News
Yahoo Sports
The Italian soccer federation (FIGC) had previously investigated a complaint against Rocchi over the VAR booth incident and dismissed disciplinary proceedings in July 2024. The matter has since been reopened following the launch of the criminal investigation by the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office.
Sfgate
FOX News
The investigation also covers an incident during the Inter-Verona match on Jan. 6, 2024, in which VAR official Luigi Nasca did not flag an alleged elbow by Alessandro Bastoni in the build-up to Inter's winning goal. Nasca was later demoted after the incident.
CBS News
Il Messaggero
The scandal has drawn comparisons to Calciopoli, a 2006 match-fixing case in which Juventus were stripped of two Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B. Sporting fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of six years under Italian law.
The New York Times
The Straits Times

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The evidence against Rocchi is damning — video footage shows VAR officials turning their heads after someone knocked on the booth door during Udinese-Parma on March 1, 2025, and a penalty that was initially dismissed suddenly got called. Rocchi also allegedly handpicked referees favored by Inter, a direct corruption of the competition's integrity. Italian soccer cannot keep sweeping these scandals under the rug when criminal fraud charges carry up to six years in prison.

The New York Times

BBC News

CBS News

Narrative B

Inter has zero involvement in this investigation — no club staff, no employees, nobody connected to the Nerazzurri is among the investigated parties. The prosecution hasn't even identified who the alleged accomplices are, and Gazzetta dello Sport points out a glaring contradiction in the referee-assignment theory. Rocchi himself maintains he acted correctly throughout, and the integrity of the championship title race should not be tainted by unproven allegations.