Italian media reports indicate that Gianluca Rocchi, the official responsible for appointing referees in Serie A and Serie B, is under investigation for “complicity in sports fraud” due to suspected influence over VAR decisions.
The matter began in May 2025 following a complaint letter sent by former assistant referee Domenico Rocca (42) to the Italian Referees Association.
Although the sports tribunal initially dismissed the complaint, the case has now taken on a criminal dimension. Rocchi received official notification of the investigation on Friday, April 24, regarding the alleged sports fraud.
The investigation is being led by Milan prosecutor Maurizio Ascione and focuses primarily on events that occurred during the 2024-2025 season.
During the Udinese vs. Parma match on March 1, three VAR officials discussed a potential penalty for Udinese due to a handball. Initially, VAR official Daniele Paterna seemed convinced there was no foul, saying, “Look at the position of the arm; it looks like it’s close to the body.”
However, at one point, Paterna looked back and appeared to be speaking to someone behind him. A few seconds later, a lip-reading revealed him saying, “It’s a penalty.” The penalty was indeed awarded to Udinese, who won the match 1-0.
Investigators suspect that Rocchi got up and repeatedly banged on the glass door of the VAR room to get their attention, hoping to prompt them to call the on-field referee for a review.
The prosecutor’s office is also examining other similar incidents, including one involving defender Alessandro Bastoni in the 2023-2024 Inter vs. Verona match, when Bastoni elbowed Ondrej Duda before Inter scored a goal. At that time, Luigi Nasca (the VAR referee in that match) was dismissed and transferred to refereeing in the second division a few days later as punishment for not spotting the error.
