The penalty awarded to Bologna for Yann Bisseck‘s handball continues to spark debate. Referee Chiffi, after reviewing the action on the monitor, pointed to the spot during yesterday’s match. A decision that has raised doubts about the consistency of refereeing.
Maurizio Pistocchi weighed in on the issue through his X profile, highlighting the lack of uniformity in the evaluation of incidents. Specifically, the journalist compared what happened to the Nerazzurri defender with a similar case from the previous week in Torino-Cremonese, which involved Simeone.
On that occasion, the penalty was not awarded because the player’s arm was “in a position consistent with the movement.” According to Pistocchi, even wide arms could be justified by the expected technical gesture, namely a chest trap. However, on Open Var, De Marco argued for the punishability of the incident since it was a deflection, but did not examine the technical aspects of the movement.
The comparison with Bisseck‘s intervention raises questions. The Inter defender, slightly unbalanced by Castro, was trying to head the ball. How can his action be considered a handball if Simeone‘s was not? What criterion distinguishes the two situations?
Pistocchi asked what rationale is actually being applied. Was the Inter player’s right arm in a position consistent with the movement? What differences make one intervention punishable and not the other? And between the two, which could have been considered avoidable? Questions that reflect the confusion of many fans, increasingly bewildered by the guidelines set by Rocchi (and company) regarding handballs.
