📺 Penalty in Milan vs Torino, VAR review: a purely accidental challenge 😳 | OneFootball

Once again, the use of VAR and, more generally, refereeing decisions are the cause of heated debates in Serie A. This time, the most contested episode is the penalty awarded to Torino in the match against Milan.

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In the 83rd minute, the Torino team was awarded the penalty, converted by Vlasic for the final 2-3, due to a contact between Pavlovic and Simeone.

The defender's hand to the face was there, but referee Fourneau did not notice it at first and only after being called by VAR did he decide to award the penalty. However, doubts remain about the intensity of the contact and thus the validity of the decision regarding the intervention protocol. 

Massimiliano Allegri's harsh words on the sidelines were also notable, although he softened his stance in the conference: “I try to stay calm… but this makes me lose the will. I'll stop coaching…”

Marelli: "We will never get out of this, subjective intensity"

This is Luca Marelli's opinion on DAZN:

“An episode that Fourneau probably didn't even see. He was called for a slap to the face considered reckless, so much so that Pavlovic was booked. It was assessed that the blow was such as to prevent Simeone from participating in the action. It recalls the Parisi-Gimenez episode in Milan-Fiorentina.

At Open VAR, we were told that the contact was well evaluated by the field referee and the VAR should not have intervened. Today, VAR Nasca and AVAR Maresca probably detected a different intensity in the episode. But we remain with the usual problem: intensity is subjective and we will never get out of it. Football is a contact sport and intensity can never be completely eliminated.”

Calvarese: "Now VAR is pure randomness"

Gian Paolo Calvarese's opinion is even harsher:

"A couple of months ago, the field decision would have remained, but now nothing is clear anymore. We remember that VAR intervention should only occur in the case of a grave and obvious error with equally clear and obvious images. We have 5-6 cameras, but we only have images showing Simeone from behind and none showing the hand contact on the face. The contact is inferred, but its intensity cannot be assessed. Today, the intervention threshold seems a matter of pure randomness, linked to the subjective interpretation of the VAR."

La Gazzetta dello Sport shares the same view, giving Fourneau a score of 5.5 in their ratings, highlighting how the referee "saw well in the two accidental blows by Ismajili, but not in Pavlovic's penalty slap".

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.