‘Referees are ruining football’ — Serie A great rages after losing to Chukwueze’s AC Milan
i

Samuel Chukwueze against Monza | Imago

‘Referees are ruining football’ — Serie A great rages after losing to Chukwueze’s AC Milan

Ayoola Kelechi 08:16 - 03.11.2024

After the loss to AC Milan, the former Rossoneri defender was visibly upset about refereeing decisions that cost his Monza side

In a heated post-match interview, Italian football legend Alessandro Nesta expressed his frustration with officiating in Monza's controversial 1-0 loss to AC Milan, which saw a goal disallowed for his side.

Monza dominated the first half but ultimately failed to get on the scoresheet due to a refereeing decision that Nesta claimed is another example of the larger problem with officiating in football today.

Disallowed goal sparks outrage

In the first half, Monza looked to have taken the lead after Dany Mota Carvalho scored on a half-volley, only for the referee to disallow the goal due to an alleged foul by Warren Bondo on Theo Hernandez in the build up.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ng/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

The decision, which surprised fans and players alike, was made without the VAR’s intervention and led to Nesta’s post-match frustrations.

Speaking after the game, the Monza manager told Sky Italia, “We could’ve scored four goals in the first half. We did score one, and it was disallowed.

Monza coach Nesta against AC Milan | Imago
Monza coach Nesta against AC Milan | Imago Monza coach Nesta against AC Milan | Imago

“They [referees] are ruining football in my view; we need to go back to the old style of officiating. What kind of a foul is that?

“The referees sent an apology to Monza after the one against Atalanta, but apologies won’t stop us losing points.”

Nesta calls for refereeing overhaul

The Monza coach’s complaints extend beyond a single match, and he voiced his frustration with the increased scrutiny referees place on minor contact and the overly meticulous use of VAR, which he believes complicates the game and damages its spirit.

Ex-AC Milan defender Alessandro Nesta | Imago
Ex-AC Milan defender Alessandro Nesta | Imago

“They are overcomplicating football, and all of this makes no sense. Football used to be simpler, it used to be a contact sport.

“Now, every tiny touch is penalized, a toenail is offside. Refereeing must adapt to the sport, not the other way around.”

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ng/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Monza’s latest loss to AC Milan leaves them hovering just above the relegation zone in Serie A, with eight points from 11 matches in the league.