Audio has been released of the conversation between referee and VAR during the controversial incident where Torino were denied a penalty against Inter.
The match ended 1-1 on March 13, 2022, but Toro were 1-0 up when Andrea Ranocchia went through Andrea Belotti inside the penalty area.
It seemed like a clear spot-kick from the replays, though VAR surprisingly did not intervene to suggest an on-field review.
Now the AIA (Italian Referees’ Association) have released the recording of the conversation between referee Marco Guida and his VAR Davide Massa.
“Ball! Ball! Yes, he got the ball, carry on,” was the message Massa provided to his referee.
With that verdict from the man watching the replays from various angles, naturally Guida waved play on.
The blame for that remarkable error therefore falls squarely on Massa.
“The VAR should’ve looked more carefully at the footage. It was a serious error, but we won’t lose such a good referee over that,” said refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi.