NEWS ALERT Head of Serie A referees, notice of criminal investigation! » The prosecutor's office investigates Gianluca Rocchi for “complicity in sports fraud”

Gianluca Rocchi is being investigated for “complicity in sports fraud”. The boss over the Serie A and B Referees Commission has said he is not involved and will defend himself to deny any further allegations, as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Sporting complaint filed by assistant Domenico Rocca rejected, but now criminal implications at stake”

The roots of the case date back to May 2025, from the letter of complaint sent to the AIA (no – Italian Referees Association) from Domenico Rocca (42) from Vibo Valentia, a former assistant referee who officiated at his last Serie A match, Napoli – Fiorentina, on 17 May 2024, and his last Serie B match on 9 May 2025, Spezia – Cremonese. “His sports complaint was rejected, and now there are criminal implications at play.” reveals the pink daily.

The issue concerns the 2024-2025 championship and was supported by the AGI agency with a “video, which shows the referee Paterna turning to the glass partition that separates them from those in the VAR room in Lissone and then asking if it is a penalty.

Immediately afterwards, Maresca, the referee of the match Udinese v Parma (March 2025) was called for a check on the side of the pitch so that he could see if a kick from 11 meters was called for.

“Rocchi “quickly got up from his seat” to “beat repeatedly” on the window of the VAR room to get the referees' attention”

The file was opened at the initiative of the assistant referee Domenico Rocca, and was later abandoned by the sports judicial system, which wrote a letter to the AIA, effectively triggering an “earthquake”, continues the cited source.

Gazzetta also writes that “according to Rocca, Gianluca Rocchi «quickly got up from his seat» to «beat repeatedly on the camera window» to attract the attention of VAR Sozza and assistant Paterna, and they, in turn, called the referee for a check on the edge of the field.

Given that (within the Lissone hall) the people outside the room, visible through the transparent glass – could not be hidden from the eyes of those working during the matches, there were ruptures that never healed. The AIA (through former President Zappi's decision in response to Rocca's letter of complaint) stated: “Any action protecting the AIA will be evaluated.

Inter – Verona from January 2024 is in the attention of the prosecutors

I immediately contacted Rocchi, who informed me that he had submitted a report to the FIGC Prosecutor's Office. “Federal inspectors were sent to check that refereeing was going well during the matches – that is, without interference – and later to draw up a detailed report on anyone who went to Lissone during the events.”

Gianluca Rocchi, head of the Central Commission of Referees in Serie A // PHOTO: Imago Images

The pink daily writes that that complaint, which seems to have been archived at the sports level, now reappears at the criminal level: “And other matches in question are under investigation, including Inter v Verona in January 2024, where the Nasca VAR did not request a “sideline review” for Bastoni's elbow on Duda – clear error, but one that has been seen before.

It remains certain that, returning to Udinese – Parma, the gesture made by Paterna is being investigated by the investigators. Rocchi defends himself and claims he has nothing to do with it, and will explain when he is subpoenaed. The battle begins again and the refereeing chaos continues.”