Milan prosecutors have requested the dismissal of a sports fraud case against Gianluca Rocchi, the official responsible for assigning referees in Italy’s top professional leagues.
Rocchi, a former international referee, placed himself on leave in April after being investigated for alleged complicity in sporting fraud during the 2024‑25 season.
Rocchi, who serves as the National Referees Commission’s designator for Serie A and Serie B, has consistently maintained his innocence.
Italian news agency Ansa reported that prosecutors, following a two‑year investigation, concluded there was no evidence of match‑fixing, stating they did not “identify a structured system aimed at interfering with appointments.”
It was alleged that Rocchi influenced the selection of a referee for an Inter Milan match because he was “liked by Inter.”
A VAR decision not to intervene when an Inter player elbowed an opponent in another match also came under scrutiny.
The parallel case against Inter Milan has also been dropped.
Rocchi was further accused of pressuring a VAR official to prompt a referee to review a handball incident on the pitchside monitor during Udinese’s 1‑0 victory over Parma in March of the previous year.
The referee and VAR official had initially decided against awarding a penalty but allegedly changed their minds, resulting in Florian Thauvin scoring the only goal of the match.
Prosecutors have now referred the case files to the sports justice authorities and the Italian Olympic Committee’s General Prosecutor’s Office for evaluation of possible disciplinary violations within the sporting framework.
Sporting fraud is a criminal offense in Italy, punishable by up to six years’ imprisonment.
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