In an exhilarating encounter at the San Siro, referee Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi found herself leaning heavily on VAR during the Serie A clash between Inter Milan and Venezia. The game, brimming with critical officiating moments, saw Ferrieri Caputi’s reliance on technology come under scrutiny.
According to today’s edition of Tuttosport, a renowned newspaper based in Turin, it was evident that Ferrieri Caputi was lucky to have VAR backing her, as she still stumbled on an early penalty decision.
The match’s first significant talking point arose around the fifteen-minute mark when Inter Milan appealed for a penalty. This moment stemmed from an apparent handball by Venezia’s wingback, Ridgeciano Haps. Undeniably, Haps handled the ball, his arm clearly raised in the air.
In an unexpected turn, however, Ferrieri Caputi opted not to award the penalty, instead awarding a free kick to Venezia for what she interpreted as a foul committed on Haps by Inter’s wingback, Denzel Dumfries. While physical contact was indeed apparent between the two players, doubts loomed over the severity of the push from Dumfries.
Tuttosport expressed that Ferrieri Caputi misstepped with her judgment on this occasion, suggesting it was an unjust decision for Dumfries and a fortunate escape for Venezia.
In the remainder of the match, Ferrieri Caputi frequently consulted VAR for crucial decisions. The first significant consultation followed what Inter believed was their opening goal, only for VAR to flag a tight offside from Inter’s Federico Dimarco, disallowing the strike.
The drama didn’t end there; another offside by Inter striker Marcus Thuram during a key play led to a Mehdi Taremi shot that struck Marin Sverko’s hand, establishing further controversy. While the handball was clear, the VAR shifted focus back to Thuram’s offside, which had gone unnoticed in real-time.
The climax of officiating controversies came when Venezia thought they had leveled the score with a goal from Sverko deep into stoppage time. However, VAR intervened once more and identified a previous handball by Sverko, ruling out the equalizer.
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