During a meeting on the VAR Protocol held at the Department of Law of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, referee Gianluca Aureliano spoke about some recent incidents. The most debated topic was his interpretation of the penalty episode awarded to Como against Inter for an alleged foul by Bonny on Nico Paz. It was Aureliano himself who was the VAR official, and on that occasion, he simply informed referee Massa that the contact occurred inside the box, not outside, without specifying that there was no foul.
According to the referee’s explanation, Bonny actually committed three infractions during the play, but was spared precisely because there was no physical contact between the two players. “Bonny commits three infractions but is saved because he does not touch Nico Paz. If there had been contact, there would have been a review for a possible red card”, explained Aureliano.
He then continued: “In this situation, you enter a particular space. The VAR (which was him, editor’s note) does not intervene because the on-field assessment by the referee is that of recklessness”. Frankly incomprehensible explanations and, moreover, contradicted by the AIA itself through delegate Dino Tommasi during the Open VAR episode related to the 32nd matchday of the championship.
