The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting a significant investigation into a suspected system of manipulated referee assignments in Italian football, with former designator Gianluca Rocchi at the center of the probe. Rocchi, who has been indicted and has voluntarily suspended himself from his duties, is alleged to have acted "in concert with other individuals" to influence certain referee selections. The investigation focuses on a specific meeting that reportedly took place on April 2, 2025, at the San Siro stadium during the Coppa Italia semifinal first leg between Milan and Inter.
According to investigators, this meeting allegedly involved Giorgio Schenone, the current club referee manager for Inter. While Schenone is not currently under indictment, prosecutors intend to question him to clarify his potential presence at the San Siro meeting and the nature of his contacts with Rocchi. The investigation's files reportedly contain an intercepted conversation from April 2025 between Rocchi and Andrea Gervasoni, a VAR supervisor who is also under investigation and has voluntarily suspended himself. This conversation allegedly references a meeting at the stadium and an individual named "Giorgio," which has prompted investigators to delve deeper into Schenone's involvement.
The core of the investigation revolves around two specific referee assignments that prosecutors believe were allegedly manipulated during that San Siro meeting. The first involves the designation of Daniele Doveri for the Coppa Italia semifinal second leg. Investigators contend that this assignment was intended to prevent a referee considered "not favored" by Inter from officiating any subsequent decisive matches for the Nerazzurri, potentially including the final. The second assignment under scrutiny is that of Andrea Colombo for the Bologna-Inter Serie A match on April 20, 2025.
In a related development, Riccardo Pinzani, the current club referee manager for Lazio, was heard by prosecutors on May 6, 2025. Crucially, Pinzani was not questioned in his capacity with Lazio, but rather regarding his previous significant role within the Italian Referees' Association (AIA). Until the previous season, Pinzani held a central position coordinating relationships between clubs and the training of referee officials, making him a key witness for understanding potential pressures or irregularities in the dynamics between clubs and the refereeing sector.
A notable hypothesis being examined by Public Prosecutor Maurizio Ascione is whether Pinzani's established role and channels of communication were effectively bypassed by Schenone's alleged direct contact with the designator Rocchi. This line of inquiry suggests a potential shift in how influence over referee assignments might have been exerted, moving from formal institutional channels to more direct, and potentially improper, club-to-designator communication.
The investigation aims to determine whether the alleged "demands" made to the designator constitute the elements of sports fraud. This legal distinction is critical, as it separates the case from mere procedural irregularities and frames it as a potential criminal matter with severe implications for the integrity of the sport. The prosecutor's approach appears methodical, gathering testimony from figures like Pinzani who possess insider knowledge of the system's normal operations to better identify deviations.
On the front of sporting justice, there are currently no immediate developments. According to ANSA, Prosecutor Ascione cannot yet transmit the investigation files to the Federal Prosecutor's Office of the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) because the case file remains under investigative secrecy. The Milan Prosecutor's Office continues to work exclusively on the criminal plane, seeking to establish whether the alleged pressures on the designator can configure hypotheses of sports fraud. Only subsequently might the documentation potentially be transmitted to the organs of federal justice.
This situation leaves the FIGC in a holding pattern, unable to launch its own parallel sporting justice proceedings until the criminal investigation reaches a stage where files can be shared. The delay underscores the gravity of the allegations and the careful, legally constrained process underway. For the clubs and officials involved, the ongoing secrecy prolongs a period of uncertainty, with potential sporting sanctions hanging in the balance pending the outcome of the criminal probe.
The investigation shines a light on the sensitive and often opaque process of referee assignments in top-flight football. The role of a "club referee manager" like Schenone at Inter or Pinzani at Lazio is officially one of liaison and education, but this case questions whether such positions can be used to exert undue influence. The alleged bypassing of established AIA channels, as suggested by the Pinzani testimony, points to a potential erosion of institutional safeguards designed to ensure impartiality.
For Inter, the involvement of their club referee manager, even as a non-indicted witness, is a serious matter that places the club under scrutiny, though no accusations have been made against the organization itself. For the broader league, the case threatens to undermine public trust in the fairness of competition. The outcome of Prosecutor Ascione's investigation will be closely watched, as it could have profound implications for how referee oversight is conducted and policed in Italian football moving forward.
Based on reporting from Tuttosport.com - Calcio.
