Former Serie A referee Luca Marelli believes the VAR had no reason to intervene when the referee had awarded a spot-kick for Juventus against Fiorentina.
The Bianconeri resumed their Serie A campaign with a trip to Florence in the hopes of returning to winning at the expense of their struggling rivals, who have yet to taste victory this season.
Filip Kostic gave the visitors a valuable lead late in the first half, but Rolando Mandragora responded with an absolute screamer after the interval.
Dusan Vlahovic saw his penalty revoked following a VAR review
The contest thus ended in a 1-1 draw, but it also had its fair share of controversial incidents, and as expected, Dusan Vlahovic was at the very centre of it.
The Serbian bomber received a hostile reception from his former supporters, with a section of them hurling racial slurs in his direction, which prompted a warning from the referee.
The 25-year-old was eager to respond by piling more misery on the Viola, and he thought he had won a spot-kick in the 13th minute.
Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Vlahovic was about to skip past Pablo Mari following a clever backheel, but two men engaged in physical battle, and the Spaniard appeared to have dragged the striker to the ground.
While match official Daniele Doveri immediately pointed to the spot, he was then called by the VAR to review the incident, and eventually decided to overturn the decision and award the foul to Fiorentina.
Luca Marelli explains why the VAR was wrong to ask for a review
For his part, Marelli doesn’t necessarily agree with Doveri’s decision to award the spot-kick. However, the reputable expert believes the VAR had no business interfeering with the incident.
“Doveri awarded the penalty on the pitch and then overturned it. For me, these are situations where you shouldn’t step in,” said Marelli during his post-match appearance on DAZN via IlBianconero.
“Both players are holding each other — the first hold is by Pablo Marí and it starts outside the box, but what matters is where it ends; then Vlahović grabs him in return. So what’s the issue?
“The on-field review. It was an on-pitch assessment — maybe it would’ve been better not to blow the whistle in the first place, but once he did, why did VAR intervene? The severity has to be judged by the referee.
“From my point of view, it would’ve been better not to whistle, but once he did, why was there an on-field review? In my view, that goes well beyond the protocol,” concluded the retired referee.
Avatar
Michel Sakr
Michel is a football journalist based in Beirut who has been a die-hard Juventus supporter since 1996. He is a Law graduate and a member of the Beirut Bar Association. In addition to writing for Juve FC, he is also the Head Writer for The Laziali and a Featured Writer on other websites including Stretty News, and The Cult of Calcio.