MILAN (AP) – Milan prosecutors have dismissed the case against former Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi and assistant referee Andrea Gervasoni over allegations of sports fraud.
Rocchi, who was the head referee of Serie A and Serie B. became the subject of a criminal investigation In April. He was accused of influencing VAR decisions and changing the selection of referees.
However, the Milan public prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday that it “found no evidence of a structured system aimed at preventing the appointment.”
Rocchi was under investigation for an incident during the 2024-25 season. He is said to have changed the referee for the Inter Milan match to someone more friendly to the Nerazzurri.
Inter finished that season just one point behind Serie A champions Napoli, but were not involved.
Rocchi is also accused of interfering with VAR protocols during the Serie A match between Udinese and Parma on March 1, 2025, by banging on the window of the VAR booth and asking the referee to review an on-field penalty.
Documents related to this incident have been handed over to the Monza Public Prosecutor’s Office, as the premises of the VAR operation room are under its jurisdiction.
Rocchi resigned with immediate effect during the investigation and was replaced first by Dino Tommasi and then by Daniele Orsato.
Rocchi’s lawyer, Antonio Davilo, said: “I spoke to him and he was very happy. We will now consider our next steps. We will meet with him tomorrow to discuss this matter in detail.” “Fortunately, the situation was resolved quickly, even though the price Rocki had to pay was high.
“I don’t understand how those ‘knocks’ can amount to sports misconduct. They are intended to correct a serious mistake made by the referee and are in no way intended to change the outcome of the match. From a legal perspective, I don’t see how sports misconduct can be established.”
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