Napoli 3-1 Inter Milan – Italian Referee Association Suspends On-Field Officials After Woeful Performance | OneFootball

Serie A referee Maurizio Mariani came under heavy scrutiny after several controversial decisions in Saturday’s clash between Napoli and Inter Milan.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport via FCInterNews, the Italian Referee Association has suspended the 43-year-old after the game.

Inter’s seven-game winning streak came to a halt this weekend as Napoli pulled off a stunning 3-1 win at the Maradona.

However, Mariani’s questionable calls overshadowed Antonio Conte’s triumph over his former side.

Mariani & Bindoni Suspended After Napoli 3-1 Inter Milan Horror Show

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Maurizio Mariani helped Napoli find the opening goal just after the half-hour mark, sending Kevin De Bruyne to the spot.

Despite waving ‘play on’ at first, the experienced Serie A referee changed his mind after consulting with the VAR booth.

Indeed, though there was a minimal contact between Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Giovanni Di Lorenzo, he decided to award a penalty to Napoli.

Furthermore, the VAR review lasted no more than ten seconds,

Earlier in the game, Marini refused to show a yellow card to Billy Gilmour for a reckless challenge on Hakan Calhanoglu.

it would have resulted in the Scottish midfielder’s expulsion toward the end of the first half when he got booked for a foul on Denzel Dumfries.

Therefore, the Italian Referee Association has decided to sanction Marini and his assistant, Daniele Bindoni.

Indeed, the latter failed to see an obvious handball from Alessandro Buongiorno, forcing VAR to intervene once again.