Italian prosecutors dismiss criminal case against Serie A referees chief
The dismissal of criminal match-fixing allegations against Serie A's referee assigner removes a significant legal threat to the commercial integrity of Italian football.
Prosecutors in Milan have requested the dismissal of a high-profile sports fraud case against Gianluca Rocchi, the official responsible for assigning referees in Italy's top two football divisions. The request formally closes a two-year criminal inquiry into allegations of match-fixing during the 2024-25 season.
In their final assessment, prosecutors concluded they did not "identify a structured system aimed at interfering with appointments", according to the Italian news agency Ansa. The criminal investigation, which under Italian law carries a maximum prison sentence of six years, ultimately found no evidence of a manipulated system.
The inquiry had closely examined several contentious match-day incidents. These included claims that Rocchi deliberately selected a referee for an Inter Milan fixture because the official was "liked by Inter". Prosecutors also scrutinised a separate VAR decision not to intervene when an Inter player elbowed an opponent. The simultaneous case against Inter Milan has been dropped alongside Rocchi's.
However, the administrative threat to league operations is not entirely resolved. While the criminal avenue is closing, prosecutors have forwarded the case documents to sports justice authorities and the Italian Olympic Committee's General Prosecutor's Office. These bodies must now determine whether Rocchi committed any disciplinary breaches within a purely sporting context.
For Italian football's broader economy, the dismissal of criminal fraud charges provides immediate relief. Serie A relies on multi-billion-euro broadcast contracts and international sponsorship deals that require absolute certainty in the league's competitive fairness. A criminal conviction of the referee designator would have severely damaged the commercial credibility of the Italian game.
Rocchi, who suspended himself from his role at the National Referees Commission in April, has consistently protested his innocence. He still faces the possibility of sporting bans depending on the Olympic Committee's review. That review will likely focus on a specific claim that Rocchi pressured a VAR official to review a handball offence during Udinese's 1-0 win over Parma last March, an intervention that led to Florian Thauvin scoring the only goal.
