Representatives from Roma and Sampdoria were paid a visit by referee designator and head of the Italian referees’ association Gianluca Rocchi on Sunday afternoon, who discussed some of the ‘misunderstandings’ and the general behaviour of coaches on the touchline this season.
It is believed that Roma were the intended targets of the meeting, given the club’s involvement in some high-profile disagreements with referees over the course of this season.
Most recently, Jose Mourinho was issued with a two-game ban and fine for an altercation with fourth official Marco Serra during their loss to Cremonese at the end of February.
Despite the controversies this year, Roma officials Tiago Pinto and Maurizio Lombardo said at the meeting at Foro Italico that, overall the club were satisfied with the standard of refereeing performances in Serie A.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Rocchi requested that Roma address the conduct of their players and staff on the bench during matches. Between the substitutes and coaches, Roma have had 11 dismissals from the bench over the course of this season.