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FLORENCE, ITALY – MAY 23: Gianluca Rocchi former Italian referee and referee designator for the Serie A and Serie B championships during the FIGC Hall of Fame Event on May 23, 2022 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi has assured he ‘always acted fairly and have full faith in the justice system’ after he was placed under investigation for sporting fraud.
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Rocchi is in charge of assigning referees to various games in Serie A, B and the Coppa Italia.
This afternoon, it was announced that he had been placed under investigation for the very serious accusation of sporting fraud.
It is reported he over-stepped his boundaries by urging VAR officials to recommend On-Field Reviews by banging on the window of the VAR booth in the Lissone centre, and of assigning referees who were ‘preferred’ by Inter to certain matches, rather than others.
Rocchi responds to accusations
“This morning I received the confirmation I was under investigation,” said Rocchi in a statement to news agency ANSA.
“I am certain that I always acted fairly and have full faith in the justice system.”
The matter had already been evaluated and archived by the sporting justice system, but has now been picked up by the civil courts instead.
The accusation of ‘sporting fraud’ is extremely serious, and was not even used during the Calciopoli scandal of 2006.
It remains to be seen how far this investigation will go, and how it will affect the Italian football world.
