Lazio vs. Fiorentina VAR and referee suspended, but Hojlund decision correct | OneFootball

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Lazio-Fiorentina referee Simone Sozza and VAR officials will be suspended while decisions in Napoli-Verona were deemed correct.

AIA will suspend referee Sozza and VAR officials Ivano Pezzuto and Alessandro Prontera for one or two Serie A games, Gazzetta reports.

Lazio-Fiorentina ref and VAR suspended

BERGAMO, ITALY – MAY 12: Referee Simone Sozza checks the pitch side VAR monitor during the Serie A match between Atalanta and AS Roma at Gewiss Stadium on May 12, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The officials were in charge of the controversial Lazio-Fiorentina on Wednesday, and according to the report, referee chiefs are particularly upset by penalty kick decisions made by Sozza and his VAR colleagues.

Marin Pongracic’s shirt-pulling of Mario Gila, in fact, should have resulted in a penalty kick for Lazio; moreover, the penalty kick given to Fiorentina for a foul on Albert Gudmundsson was ‘not convincing’ as the Fiorentina striker dragged his leg before contact with the Lazio defender.

Sozza didn’t give the penalty initially, but then changed his mind after a pitchside monitor review, which, according to AIA officials, was unnecessary and wrong.

Correct decisions in Napoli-Verona

NAPLES, ITALY – JANUARY 07: Rasmus Hojlund of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring his side second goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Hellas Verona FC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on January 07, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

On the other hand, Napoli-Verona referee Matteo Marchetti and the VAR officials won’t receive any punishment as their decisions at the Maradona were deemed correct.

Napoli complained about a penalty kick for the visitors and a Rasmus Hojlund goal being disallowed.

Referee chiefs, however, agree that Buongiorno’s handball, leading to the penalty kick for Verona, was punishable as the Napoli defender’s arm was in an unnatural position.

Likewise, the decision to disallow Hojlund’s goal, which infuriated Antonio Conte, was also considered correct as videos scrutinised by VAR officials prove the striker touched the ball with his hand rather than with his chest before scoring.