Federico La Penna, the Serie A referee who wrongly sent off Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu during Saturday's match against Inter Milan, has been inundated with death threats, prompting Italian police to advise him to stay at home. The threats, posted on social media, included messages such as “I’ll shoot you” and “We’re coming to get you, we know where you live.” La Penna has filed a formal complaint.
The controversy erupted when La Penna showed Kalulu a second yellow card for a challenge on Alessandro Bastoni, who replays showed had simulated the fall. Juventus officials and fans argued the decision heavily influenced the game, which Inter won 3-2 despite Juventus equalising with ten men. Under Serie A rules, second yellow cards are not reviewable by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Gianluca Rocchi, Serie A’s chief refereeing officer, admitted the decision was “clearly wrong” and said La Penna could face a one-month suspension. “La Penna is mortified and we stand by him, but he wasn’t the only one who made a mistake,” Rocchi said. “Yesterday there was a clear simulation – the latest in a long series in a league where they try in every possible way to deceive us.”
Bastoni also faced online abuse, leading him and his wife to disable social media comments. At half-time, Juventus chief executive Damien Comolli had to be restrained from confronting La Penna, while manager Luciano Spalletti remonstrated with the referee. Comolli said: “Juventus lost three points, but Italian football lost much more.” Both Comolli and director Giorgio Chiellini risk disciplinary sanctions.
