Former Serie A referee Gianpaolo Calvarese has criticised the decision to award Atalanta a penalty against AC Milan on Sunday night, saying that the contact was ‘not sufficient to justify the extreme punishment’.
Calvarese spoke to Tuttosport (via Pianeta Milan) after the match and he was straight away asked about the performance of Daniele Orsato, particularly in relation to the penalty.
Milan were 1-0 up when the penalty was awarded, which came after Olivier Giroud was adjudged to have kicked Emil Holm in the box whilst the defender went for a header.
Whilst being generally complimentary of Orsato, Calvarese said it was: “A complex match at San Siro for one of the strongest referees in the world. Daniele Orsato shows his usual authority, but I don’t agree with the penalty awarded to Atalanta after on-field review in the first half.”
He went on to explain himself further, saying that the contact between Giroud and Holm was not enough to warrant a severe punishment like a penalty, a decision that angered Stefano Pioli.
He also mentioned the fact that Holm went down holding his face, despite having been kicked in the side, according to the replays.
“The intensity of the contact is not sufficient to justify the extreme punishment. Holm himself on the other hand holds his head and not his torso, where he received the kick. The VAR call from Massimiliano Irrati, also world-class, can be explained in light of an intervention threshold which in Serie A is now too low,” Calvarese said.
