Bergonzi rejects Mariani after Inter-Fiorentina: «Clear penalty at the 69th minute, Fabbri should have intervened»

A clear and unequivocal judgment from Mauro Bergonzi on the refereeing of Mariani in Inter–Fiorentina. The former referee, speaking on Domenica Sportiva, analyzed two incidents that sparked debate, reserving his harshest criticism for what happened in the 69th minute.

“Mariani fully deserves a 4: he is one of the best and cannot make such a mistake,” said Bergonzi, before acknowledging a correct decision in the 95th minute: “He saw the foul by Valdepenas on Thuram well, he got it right because the Viola player completely ignored the ball and hugged and grabbed his opponent by the neck. It’s an obvious hold, it’s always a penalty, no matter what.”

The most controversial case, however, remains the previous one. “In the 69th minute Thuram receives the ball, dribbles Viery: trip, the referee is about to blow the whistle but then doesn’t,” explained Bergonzi, who also highlighted the body language of the Viola players at that moment: “Ndour has his arms on his hips, Dragusin has his hands on his face,” almost as if to testify to the clarity of the incident.

The criticism then extended to the person responsible for the VAR: “I struggle to understand why Fabbri at VAR didn’t call him to the monitor to award this penalty, which is crystal clear. This is always a penalty, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.” Bergonzi concluded by pointing the finger at the appointments committee: “I blame Orsati, these are very serious.”