On April 25, 2026, while the 34th matchday of Serie A was taking place, Italian football was literally overwhelmed by news regarding investigations against Gianluca Rocchi, former referee and designator for Serie A and Serie B championships. Rocchi received a notice of guarantee from the Milan Prosecutor’s Office and is under investigation for complicity in sports fraud. The interrogation of the designator is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, but in the meantime, Rocchi has decided to self-suspend from his position: “This morning I received a notice of guarantee,” he told ANSA. “I am sure I have always acted correctly and I have full confidence in the judiciary.” When he is heard by the prosecutors, Rocchi will be able to defend himself against all accusations (unless he chooses to exercise his right not to respond).
In particular, there are three charges: regarding the Udinese-Parma match on March 1, 2025, during the Serie A 2024/25 championship, Rocchi allegedly influenced the work of VAR official Daniele Paterna, “inducing him to call the on-field review for referee Fabio Maresca for the assignment of a penalty kick in favor of the Friulian team, although Paterna had a different opinion”; the match ended with Udinese winning 1-0. Regarding the Bologna-Inter match on April 20, 2025, also from the Serie A 2024/25 championship, Rocchi allegedly “manipulated the appointment of referee Andrea Colombo, as he was a ‘preferred referee’ for the visiting team, Inter”; the final result of the match was 1-0 in favor of Bologna. Regarding the Coppa Italia 2024/25 semifinal between Milan and Inter, Rocchi allegedly “manipulated” or “shielded” the appointment of referee Daniele Doveri, placing him in charge of the tournament semifinal (April 23, 2025) to ensure that Inter would have different referees from the ‘unwelcome’ Doveri for the potential subsequent Coppa Italia final and for the rest of the Serie A matches”; in the end, Milan advanced (winning the return match 3-0 after a 1-1 draw in the first leg). All these facts, it is read in the documents, would have occurred in collusion with “more” and “other” people.
In essence, therefore, Rocchi is under investigation for suspected interference in VAR decisions, and for allegedly having improperly “steered” referee appointments. According to AGI, the very first source to report the news of the notice of guarantee to Rocchi, VAR supervisor Andrea Gervasoni is also under investigation in “collusion with other people” for sports fraud by the Milan Prosecutor’s Office. Gervasoni himself has reportedly self-suspended from his position. In the notice of guarantee that was served to him on Friday evening, it states that “during the Salernitana-Modena match, with the granting of a penalty kick in favor of the Emilian team by referee Antonio Giuia, he urged and prompted VAR official Luigi Nasca to call Giuia to the ‘on-field review’ for the initial decision on the game incident.” The events in question date back to March 8, 2025.
From the perspective of sports justice, some of the events had already been part of an investigation initiated – and then archived – about a year ago. However, what has emerged in recent hours could lead the FIGC Prosecutor’s Office to open a new file. Everything started from reports by assistant referee Domenico Rocca, who sent a letter complaining about having received unfair evaluations from Assoarbitri. According to the reconstruction of Gazzetta dello Sport, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office would have investigated all aspects of what Rocca claimed, including the specific case of Udinese-Parma, then would have heard all the people involved and finally would have ordered the archiving of the case “in the state of the acts.” As mentioned, however, the new accusations against Rocchi have led Giuseppe Chinè, chief prosecutor of the FIGC, to request the documents from the Milan Prosecutor’s Office.
C’è solo un modo per tutelare il sistema sportivo in tutte le sue articolazioni e rispettare i tifosi, gli appassionati e gli innamorati dello sport, a partire dal calcio: trasparenza, tempestività e parità di trattamento quando si affrontano ipotesi di inosservanza delle norme…
— Andrea Abodi (@andreaabodi) April 25, 2026
The reactions to what has happened in recent hours have been strong, as was inevitable. Above is that of the Minister of Sport, Andrea Abodi, who wrote (on his X profile) that, in his opinion, “the most serious aspect that emerges is the way in which the same complaint has been managed within the football system.” As for Inter, however, internal sources from the Milan Prosecutor’s Office – cited, among others, also by ANSA – confirmed that no registered member of the Nerazzurri is under investigation. The Gazzetta dello Sport wrote that “the Nerazzurri club is astonished by what is happening: the matches that have come under the scrutiny of the Milan Prosecutor’s Office are, in fact, those that led to a season with zero titles for the team then coached by Simone Inzaghi.
Initially, the decision made by the management was not to issue public statements, but then president Marotta spoke before the match against Torino, to Sky microphones: “Investigation? “We learn everything from the press. These statements astonish us, we do not have preferred or non-preferred referees. We know we have acted with the utmost correctness and this is the most important fact that should reassure everyone. Last season, I am not saying this to complain, we objectively had adverse decisions even acknowledged, I refer for example to the penalty in Inter-Roma. I am calm, we are strangers and we will be in the future.” As mentioned, the interrogation on the upcoming April 30 will serve to provide a clearer picture of the situation. Both for the criminal proceedings and for the sports one.