Dino Tommasi, the new referee selector following Rocchi’s self-suspension, is present in the Lissone studios to comment on the refereeing incidents analyzed in Open VAR after the 34th round of Serie A. The focus immediately shifts to Torino-Inter 2-2 and, in particular, the penalty awarded to Torino after an on-field review for a handball by Carlos Augusto.
“It’s a complex situation on the field, because the distance is really close and so we understand Mariani’s difficulty in real time – explains Tommasi -. Then, through the analysis of the cameras, it is clear that Carlos Augusto’s arm is really high, outside the silhouette, making himself bigger, blocking Zapata’s header, and the handball is clearly punishable. Mariani, rightly during the well-conducted review, asks to see various camera angles to be sure, because as we keep saying and reiterating, the centrality of the referee is crucial and he must be sure and certain of what he is deciding. The last camera angle is very clear and he rightly decides to award the penalty”.
The host Federica Zille then asks: “Is the fact that the handball is so close to Zapata’s header a mitigating factor or not in this case?”.
Tommasi replies: “Well, it can be a mitigating factor in the assessment of the handball, certainly in general terms, but in this case absolutely not, because the arm is really high, outside the silhouette, it moves in a completely unnatural way, and it blocks the header well outside the body space”.
An explanation that did not fully convince Inter fans who, on social media, reignited the controversy that had erupted immediately after the match in Turin.
