Former Serie A referee: It would be acceptable if the referee directly awarded a penalty kick, but VAR should not have intervened at that time

In the 7th round of Serie A, Milan defeated Fiorentina 2-1 at home. Former Serie A referee Marelli talked about the penalty calls in the game.

In the 82nd minute of the game, Jimenez fell to the ground after being pulled by Parisi in the penalty area. The referee first waved to indicate that there was no foul and the game continued. Then VAR intervened to remind. After the referee went to the sidelines to watch the video replay, he instead awarded Milan a penalty kick. Fiorentina protested after the game.

Marelli, who was a guest on DAZN, said: "There was not even a real pull at the time, just Parisi's hand on Jimenez's neck. In my opinion, if the referee awarded a penalty kick immediately, you might also feel it was unfair, but you would accept it in the end. However, if the referee saw this action but did not award a penalty kick, then there is not enough reason to ask for a video replay. In my opinion, this VAR intervention was beyond the scope of the rules."