Luigi Nasca, Rodolfo Di Vuolo, and Daniele Paterna, along with Gianluca Rocchi and Andrea Gervasoni, are currently subjects of an investigation. Reports from Italy indicate that the number of individuals involved in the latest Serie A scandal may rise considerably in the coming hours.
Italian news outlets, including Gazzetta dello Sport, report that three additional referees have been placed under investigation, following initial probes into Referee Designator Rocchi and VAR supervisor Gervasoni.
Serie A Referee Scandal: Three More Under Investigation
The referees in question are Nasca, Di Vuolo, and Paterna. According to Gazzetta, they are all suspected of submitting false information to the prosecutor.
Daniele Paterna was reportedly seen in a video that appeared to show someone outside the VAR room providing guidance to officials on what to communicate to the on-field referee, a clear breach of protocol.
Investigators suspect that VAR officials were influenced by external parties, potentially through coded messages, compromising their independent judgment.
Gazzetta suggests that the number of individuals under investigation could see a ‘significant’ increase in the near future.
The Milan Prosecutor’s office is scheduled to hear from Rocchi and Gervasoni on April 30. Rocchi’s lawyer, Antonio D’Avirro, has given several interviews to the Italian media, asserting his client’s innocence and claiming he is the victim of an injustice.
“I met with him, and he’s demoralized because he believes he’s the victim of an injustice,” D’Avirro stated to Pressing. “He [Rocchi] considers all the allegations to be unfounded. He has always acted loyally and transparently, and he is deeply troubled by being accused of something so serious. I don’t know whether he will return, but we will certainly be able to defend ourselves effectively. We are currently evaluating which defensive strategies to adopt by Thursday.”
Rocchi has voluntarily suspended himself from his duties while the investigation into alleged sports fraud is ongoing.
“Reference is being made to other people, but we do not know who they are,” D’Avirro told Sport Mediaset. “It is a multi-party offense, yet only Rocchi is named in the notice of investigation. Calciopoli? This is a completely different matter. Back then, hundreds of people around the clubs were involved, whereas here we are talking about only two or three individuals.”
