Referee Marco Di Bello was heavily criticised by the Italian newspapers for his ‘total fog’ whilst overseeing the heated clash between Lazio and Milan.
The match between the Biancocelesti and the Rossoneri was one of the fieriest of the season so far, with the hosts seeing three red cards across the 96 minutes as Stefano Pioli’s side escaped 1-0 winners following a late strike from Noah Okafor.
The clash left both parties infuriated after the full time whistle, with Pioli storming out of his press conference and Pellegrini accusing Milan of acting ‘unsportsmanlike’ on social media after the game, showing how the tensions extended off the pitch.
Di Bello in particular was criticised for his work in the middle, with Gazzetta dello Sport detailing how he lost complete control of the affair at the Stadio Olimpico: “Total fog at the end, not understanding moments of the match, dynamics and developments isn’t good. One good thing, it’s not a penalty in the 12th minute. After omissions and little help from his team.”
Corriere dello Sport were even less forgiving than their Milanese counterparts, underlining how he’ll likely be punished as a result of his work, commenting: “Di Bello lost control of the match, drew three reds and made the teams tense with some incomprehensible choices in clear situations (see the inverted fouls and an authoritarian attitude). He managed badly, then, all the decisive moments. He will be stopped.”
Whilst Tuttosport were not impressed, they were less dramatic than their peers, suggesting some good calls by Di Bello: “He let the Maignan-Castellanos contact go and made other good decisions. But he managed to make the match tense with ill-timed choices, three sending offs for a single team are a rare event, even for Serie A.”
Di Bello ratings in Italian newspapers
La Gazzetta dello Sport: 4.5
Corriere dello Sport: 3
Tuttosport: 5