Serie A: Rocchi Admits Referee Error in Kalulu Red Card, Apologises to Juventus
Serie A refereeing chief Gianluca Rocchi admitted that referee Federico La Penna made a “clear error” by issuing Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu a second yellow card during their defeat to Inter Milan on Saturday. Rocchi issued an apology for the incident.
“Something completely unacceptable happened today, it doesn’t matter whether it happens to us or someone else...”
Serie A referee designator Gianluca Rocchi admitted referee Federico La Penna was “clearly wrong” to send off Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu during Saturday's 3-2 loss to Inter Milan. Kalulu was given a second yellow card after Inter's Alessandro Bastoni fell and accused him of grabbing his shirt, but TV footage showed no contact.
The decision sparked Juventus' protests, with coach Luciano Spalletti and director Giorgio Chiellini confronting La Penna in the tunnel. Rocchi apologized for the incident, saying La Penna is “mortified,” but also criticized Bastoni for simulation.
Juventus's chances of closing the gap on Inter Milan were dashed after they lost 3-2 to their rivals, with Inter's Piotr Zielinski scoring a dramatic 90th-minute winner. Juventus had been reduced to 10 men after Pierre Kalulu was sent off in the first half.
The defeat means Inter Milan are now eight points clear at the top of the Serie A table, with AC Milan in second place on 53 points, having played one match fewer. Juventus dropped to fourth place with 46 points.
“We are very sorry about the incident, about La Penna's decision, which was clearly wrong, and about the fact that VAR could not be used to rectify it,” Rocchi told Italian news agency ANSA.
“La Penna is mortified and we are close to him, but I have to tell you the truth that he is not the only one who made a mistake, because yesterday there was clear simulation.”
Pierre Kalulu's sending off was a major talking point in the Inter-Juventus match, with many questioning the referee's decision. Kalulu made a VAR gesture as he protested his second yellow card, but Serie A's protocol doesn't allow VAR intervention in yellow card situations, including second yellows leading to sendings-off. Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti and director Giorgio Chiellini confronted referee Federico La Penna in the tunnel, expressing their frustration.
Damien Comolli and Giorgio Chiellini's comments after #InterJuve ⤵️
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) February 14, 2026
📰 https://t.co/I0YQCyjoIf pic.twitter.com/v7LqUjh7Ep
The controversy has sparked debate, with some calling for changes to the VAR protocol. Serie A referee designator Gianluca Rocchi admitted La Penna was “clearly wrong” and apologized for the incident, adding that La Penna is “mortified.”
“Something completely unacceptable happened today, it doesn’t matter whether it happens to us or someone else, and from tomorrow presumably VAR will have to change, because this is not acceptable that so many errors keep happening even in big games like this,” Chiellini told Sky Italia.
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