Lazio vs. Fiorentina VAR and referee suspended, but Hojlund decision correct
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Lazio-Fiorentina referee Simone Sozza and VAR officials will be suspended while decisions in Napoli-Verona were deemed correct.
AIA will suspend referee Sozza and VAR officials Ivano Pezzuto and Alessandro Prontera for one or two Serie A games, Gazzetta reports.
Lazio-Fiorentina ref and VAR suspended
The officials were in charge of the controversial Lazio-Fiorentina on Wednesday, and according to the report, referee chiefs are particularly upset by penalty kick decisions made by Sozza and his VAR colleagues.
Marin Pongracic’s shirt-pulling of Mario Gila, in fact, should have resulted in a penalty kick for Lazio; moreover, the penalty kick given to Fiorentina for a foul on Albert Gudmundsson was ‘not convincing’ as the Fiorentina striker dragged his leg before contact with the Lazio defender.
Sozza didn’t give the penalty initially, but then changed his mind after a pitchside monitor review, which, according to AIA officials, was unnecessary and wrong.
Correct decisions in Napoli-Verona
On the other hand, Napoli-Verona referee Matteo Marchetti and the VAR officials won’t receive any punishment as their decisions at the Maradona were deemed correct.
Napoli complained about a penalty kick for the visitors and a Rasmus Hojlund goal being disallowed.
Referee chiefs, however, agree that Buongiorno’s handball, leading to the penalty kick for Verona, was punishable as the Napoli defender’s arm was in an unnatural position.
Likewise, the decision to disallow Hojlund’s goal, which infuriated Antonio Conte, was also considered correct as videos scrutinised by VAR officials prove the striker touched the ball with his hand rather than with his chest before scoring.