Game 8, Serie A
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Juventus Lazio 1-0
Before giving a brief match report there is a need to talk about the big difficulties VAR is having in Italy. There have been a number of controversial decisions this season, similar fouls with different interpretations. A step on foot in the box in one match means a penalty, but not in another. Sometimes, as in Fiorentina Lazio, within the same match there have been different decisions on similar fouls.
Over the weekend there were three similar last man fouls in Juve Lazio, Milan Udinese and Roma Inter. Despite the fact that the more blatant foul was in the latter match, red cards were shown only in the first two for the slightest of touches.
But, on Saturday in Turin we reached a point of no return. In the 84th minute, Douglas Luiz punched Patric on the back in Lazio’s penalty area. The Brazilian, as shown by footage on X, once the deed was done, clearly looked to see if the ref was looking, hoping to get away with it. Luca Sacchi was not, so this was something that had to be reviewed by the VAR officials. If they missed it, that’s serious. But if they considered it a violent act but not punishable when we have seen players being sent off for even just attempting a push, let alone a punch, then this is even worse, because it means something more serious.
The head of the Italian referees, Gianluca Rocchi, said on Sunday that it was not a clear error because it was difficult to measure the intensity of the act. Interesting. Last season in order to justify the sending off of Matteo Politano for giving his opponent a little kick in the backside in Roma Napoli, Rocchi said that it was the act that needed to be punished, not the intensity. A little dazed and confused?
We all know that there is bad blood between the President of the Italian Football Association, Gabriel Gravina, and Claudio Lotito.
Claudio Lotito, along with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentis and others, is looking for a fairer system especially around the sharing of TV money. The cake is currently split as follows:
50% equally among all clubs;
28% based on sporting results (11.2% linked to the placement in the last championship, 2.80% linked to points in the last championship, 9.33% on the results of the last 5 championships preceding the last one, 4.67 % linked to historical results);
22% based on social roots (8.36% TV audience, 12.54% spectators at the stadium and 1.10% playing time of young players).
But this means that there is a huge difference between the teams at the top compared to the others. The splitting of the money in 2023-24 saw Inter cash in €101 million, Milan 87.4, Juve 86.7 compared to Frosinone 31.3, Sassuolo 35.8 and Salernitana 31.6. In the premier league the split is more equal and the club that finishes first never has twice the amount of who comes last.
Lotito has more than one voiced the need for Serie A to move to a premier league style of management with an independent refereeing body. Juve, Milan, Inter, Roma and Atalanta disagree because it would hurt their interests. Gravina has sided with the big clubs because a premier style Italian league would lessen the power of the federation. He has also ignored the huge debts most of the big teams have, downplayed their bookkeeping irregularities and basically done everything in his power to safeguard the big teams with the big debts.
The independence of referees from the Football Federation is obviously not what Gravina wants because that too would diminish his power.
Have Lotito’s positions damaged Lazio? Probably. The controversial decisions this season, but also in the past, seem to stem more from a more negative attitude from refs when it comes to making decisions in Lazio games. Biancocelesti players often get booked for dissent, whereas other players insult the ref like there is no tomorrow without being sanctioned. Ciro Immobile was often booked even if he was allowed to speak to the referee since he was captain.
Nobody will forget the 2017-18 season when VAR was used to harm Lazio. Nor will Marco Di Bello’s foul-up last season in the home game against Milan. Interestingly, the ref at the Var was the same as Saturday's, Mr Di Paolo.
Saturday's punch was just impossible to ignore. Why did the VAR refs ignore it? Incompetency? Maybe. Coffee break at the wrong time? Maybe. Indications from higher up? Maybe.
The match
The game with Juve was very boring with very little happening. After 20 minutes of basic study, the game changer came in the 22nd minute. Juan Cabal to Dusan Vlahovic, splendid pass to Pierre Kalulu who found the gap in the Lazio defence. Alessio Romagnoli tried a desperate attempt to stop the Frenchman just outside the box, but fouled him with the slightest of touches. The referee said to play on but then Var called him. Red card for Romagnoli and free kick for Juve which Vlahovic sent over the crossbar.
In the 57th minute, Andrea Cambiaso on the right, low pass to the centre to Khephren Thuram who tried a shot, the ball hit first Mario Gila’s chest, then his arm, Vlahovic was quick to get to it but his volley hit the crossbar. Two minutes later, splendid Timothy Weah cross, Douglas Luiz completely unmarked headed the ball wide.
A minute after the Brazilian punched Patric, Cabal sent a cross into the box, Gila tried to intervene but kicked the ball into his own goal. Game over.
Lazio were courageous and unlucky. They had managed to almost bring home a point in 10 men. But it was not to be.
Who played for Juventus
Di Gregorio, Savona (54' Weah), Gatti (72' Danilo), Kalulu, Cabal, Locatelli (54' Fagioli), Thuram (72' Adzic), Cambiaso, Douglas Luiz, Yildiz, Vlahovic
Substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rouhi, Mbangula
Manager: Thiago Motta.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares (78' Pellegrini), Guendouzi (65' Vecino), Rovella, Isaksen (66' Pedro), Dia (27' Patric), Zaccagni (65' Castrovilli); Castellanos
Substitutes: Mandas, Furlanetto, Gigot, Dele-Bashiru, Tchaouna, Noslin
Manager: Baroni
Referee: Sacchi
Goal: 85’ Gila (og)
Booked: Locatelli (J), Savona (J), Fagioli (J), Douglas Luiz (J), Vecino (L), Pedro (L)
Red Card: Romagnoli
Sources
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