The Italian Referees’ Association confirms the Inter penalty to beat Genoa was ‘an error’ from referee Giovanni Ayroldi, who rejected the advice of his VAR.
The incident proved pivotal in the 2-1 victory, giving the Nerazzurri a 2-0 lead at San Siro on Monday evening.
Morten Frendrup went into the sliding tackle on Nicolò Barella and clearly got to the ball, pushing the finish onto the side-netting.
Ayroldi awarded a penalty on the pitch and could be heard telling the Genoa players “it doesn’t matter if he got the ball, you cannot go in like that.”
The VAR immediately suggested it was not a penalty and spent most of the time trying to find the best footage to show the referee during the On-Field Review.
However, they failed to choose the best angle from behind the goal which showed that Frendrup very clearly got his boot to the ball and deflected it onto the side-netting.
Despite viewing it from various different angles, the referee insisted it was still a penalty.
“Yes, looking at the footage, it was an error. It can happen on the field to see the rather aggressive tackle, perhaps it was an error due to youth from Ayroldi, who was unable to detach himself from the initial sensation that he had in real time,” CAN vice commissioner Dino Tommasi told DAZN during their Open VAR segment.
“The VAR officials took on a paternal approach and tried to shepherd him towards that conclusion. He should’ve opened his mind and been more open to evaluating the footage that was shown to him. There was perhaps another angle too, but the ones he was shown should’ve been enough to overturn the decision.
“I also want to be clear that just getting a foot to the ball does not necessarily remove all blame from a foul if it is imprudent. However, in this case Frendrup clearly got to the ball first and only afterwards connected with Barella.
“Ayroldi, like every young referee, trusts his initial sensation. Unfortunately, he was so attached to that sensation that he could not break from it. He will learn and improve with maturity.”
It was not the only mistake that Ayroldi made in that match, as he also booked Lautaro Martinez for simulation when there was certainly contact.
The official again confirmed it was an error and he should’ve simply let play continue.