VAR designator Gianluca Rocchi has revealed what the stance is regarding some of the controversial incidents in AC Milan’s 2-2 draw with Pisa.
Milan dropped valuable points at San Siro on Friday night as they were held by the team in bottom place. Rafael Leao got Milan off to a brilliant start with a goal inside the opening few minutes, and it would remain that way until the second half.
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Pisa stunned San Siro by roaring back with a Juan Cuadrado penalty and an M’Bala Nzola finish to go 2-1 up, and the second goal came with just a few minutes left on the clock. However, there was another twist thanks to Zachary Athekame’s added-time equaliser.
Open VAR explain decisions
In the DAZN studios, Rocchi spoke on Open VAR to explain some of the latest incidents in Serie A, including those from Milan-Pisa on Friday night. MilanPress relayed his words.
Leao’s goal [possible offside on Pavlovic]: “We reached this decision through a process. We should ask the goalkeepers about the impact. They worked very well on the pitch here, and VAR respected the on-field decision.
“It was a borderline decision; from this decision on, we’ll move on to the offside rule. Because we’re in the goal area, after all. It’s punishable based on positioning and proximity to the goalkeeper. I repeat: borderline. But it’s more punishable than not.”
Pisa’s penalty: “De Winter’s penalty for handball was a fair one, given very well by the referee. This is a classic example of how when he makes good decisions on the pitch, it makes the VAR’s job easier. The penalty was fair.”
Nzola’s goal [Gabbia tackled off the ball]: “I don’t see such clear evidence, we’re trying to make clear and obvious interventions. I agree with Zufferli, for me it wasn’t a foul. Their trajectories crossed.”
Athekame’s goal: “Athekame was absolutely fine. We’re trying to make it as objective as possible, considering the distance from the goalkeeper and the player who impacts the goalkeeper as parameters.”
It’s as if this Rocchi guy is out only against Milan…cos I don’t understand
Is football any better after the introduction of VAR? Or is it just the same stupid mistakes and human errors with the added bonus of having to wait 10 minutes for them…
It definitely feels that way sometimes.
I really don’t like it when a beautiful goal us ruled out for a marginal offside where the two players were essentially level and the human couldn’t make a definite decision without freeze frames and drawing lines on the screen.
Especially when the critical centimeter or two had zero effect on the outcome of the situation. It wouldn’t have made any difference if a toe was offside or onside.