MILAN (AP) — Milan's public prosecutor has dismissed the case against former Italian referee designator Gianluca Rocchi and his deputy Andrea Gervasoni for alleged sports fraud.
Rocchi, who was the head of referees in Serie A and Serie B, was placed under criminal investigation in April. He was accused of influencing VAR decisions and altering the selection of referees.
However, a statement issued by the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday said that it had found “no evidence of a structured system aimed at interfering with appointments.”
Rocchi was under investigation for incidents during the 2024-25 season. He allegedly changed the official for an Inter Milan match to one who was more favorable toward the Nerazzurri.
Inter, which finished a point behind Serie A champion Napoli that season, was not implicated.
Rocchi was also alleged to have interfered with VAR protocols during a Serie A match between Udinese and Parma on March 1, 2025, by banging on the window of the VAR booth and recommending that the officials call for an on-field review of a penalty.
The documents relating to that incident have been passed to the Monza Public Prosecutor’s Office as the site of the VAR Operations room comes under their jurisdiction.
Rocchi immediately stepped down during the investigation and was first replaced by Dino Tommasi and then by Daniele Orsato.
“I’ve spoken to him and he is very pleased; now we will consider our next steps. I’m meeting him tomorrow to discuss the matter in detail,” said Rocchi’s lawyer, Antonio D’Avirro. ”Fortunately, the situation was resolved quickly, even though the price Rocchi had to pay was steep.
“I fail to see how those ‘knocks’ could constitute sporting fraud; they were intended to correct a serious error the referee was making, certainly not to alter the match result. From a legal standpoint, I do not see how a case for sporting fraud could be established.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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