Supercoppa Italiana | Juventus vs AC Milan

Juventus-AC Milan Supercoppa Italiana Clash Becomes Another VAR Farce

Juventus-AC Milan Supercoppa Italiana Clash Becomes Another VAR Farce

On the surface, Juventus winning the Supercoppa Italiana was merely business as usual. In reality, this game showed something else entirely.

Jan 18, 2019 by Adam Digby
Juventus-AC Milan Supercoppa Italiana Clash Becomes Another VAR Farce

On the surface, Juventus winning the Supercoppa Italiana was merely business as usual. The Bianconeri recorded a 1-0 victory over an opponent they have routinely dispatched in recent seasons, Cristiano Ronaldo (who else?) scoring the only goal as he lifted his first trophy with the Old Lady. To a casual observer, the game would simply show the gulf between the current Serie A champions and an A.C. Milan side who sit 22 points behind them after just 19 games of the current campaign.

Furthermore, the match also contained an almost perfect use of the video assistant referee when referee Luca Banti only showed Franck Kessié a yellow card for a foul on Emre Can. Reviewing the incident on the touchline, the official would send off the Rossoneri midfielder as the replays showed a clear stamp on the Germany international. It took hardly any time at all to get the decision correct and showed the benefits of a system that, thanks to similar examples, is slowly beginning to be implemented across Europe.

If only it were that simple.

During the clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, there were a number of other incidents that were not looked at in the same manner. In the first half, Patrick Cutrone played through by a Hakan Çalhanoğlu pass, only for the assistant referee to flag the striker offside before he had chance to finish. Given that Juve’s goal was similarly marginal but was allowed to stand and was subsequently reviewed — as was a 34th-minute effort from Blaise Matuidi that was ultimately ruled out — it was understandable that Rossoneri tempers began to fray.

"It's not up to me to judge the incidents," Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso said at his post-match press conference. "I admit Kessié’s red card was fair. My only concern is the use of technology, as we had a tight offside call and the flag went up. Juve scored two goals and one was disallowed for offside, because they allowed it to continue and made the decision afterward. That’s what annoys me."

Yet the issues didn’t stop there. There was a Matuidi foul on Davide Calabria that at the very least deserved a second look, as did a potential handball in the box by Milan defender Cristián Zapata and a potential penalty for a Can foul on Andrea Conti. That latter incident sparked a furious reaction on the pitch and touchline, Gattuso suspended for one match for “offensive and insinuating language” towards the referee.



Rossoneri skipper Alessio Romagnoli implored Banti to at least ask the VAR to cast his eye over the penalty claim and was shown a yellow card for doing so, much to his disbelief. “If I as a captain go to speak to the referee and get booked, it is irritating,” the defender told Milan TV shortly after the final whistle. “We respect the officials and ought to be treated with respect in return.”

That is 100 percent accurate, and there is little doubt that the match officials were very poor in their sporadic and inconsistent use of the technology available. In doing so, they turned what could have been — as discussed in a previous column here on FloFC — a wonderful international showcase for Italian football into another round of accusations, conspiracy theories and moved the conversation away from events on the pitch completely.

Even now, three days removed from the moment Giorgio Chiellini hoisted yet another trophy skywards as a joyful Juve team celebrated on the King Abdullah Sports City pitch, social media is awash with petty arguments between two fanbases who believe their team is the one being harshly treated.  

“I think as Juve fans, we have been accustomed to winning, but rarely does it happen without controversy,” said Daniel Pisani, a Bianconeri supporter who believes the referee in the Supercoppa should’ve sent off Matuidi and looked at giving both teams a spot kick. “I’ve started to cringe at episodes such as penalty incidents because I worry that it would be a deciding factor at the end of the game. Now with VAR it gives an added point of view of ‘different’ interpretations. As fans we hope they get it right but it does sour the taste of winning when the opposition cling onto episodes like the ones on Wednesday.”



Among Milan supporters, that general feeling is replaced by a full gamut of emotions ranging from the fact Juventus must be cheating and paying referees to more sensible arguments including this one from Matthew Santangelo. 

“To have VAR’s reliability constantly come under question on a weekly basis is bad enough,” the writer, Rossoneri fan and co-host of The State of Play podcast told FloFC. “Now an Italian Super Cup has become clouded by Luca Banti and controversy instead of the winner on the day. That means modifications are needed and more importantly, transparency, especially in the aftermath when things could be cleared up to ensure progression and improvement.”

Given that both Juventus and Milan have been relegated in the past for their involvement in match-fixing scandals, supporters on both sides would do well to heed those words rather than blaming each other or accusing officials of bias. 

Ultimately, like it did in the Supercoppa, all that does is move the conversation away from another Juventus win or Miralem Pjanic’s wonderful ball to Ronaldo, instead steering it towards a ridiculous world where somehow the referee has been bought. 

How about instead of corrupt, we accuse the officials of simply being inept and inconsistent? Until we hold those in power to account for spoiling what should have been a great occasion, nothing will change.


Adam Digby is an Italian football writer for FourFourTwo, The Independent, and elsewhere. Author of "Juventus: A History In Black & White." Follow Adam on Twitter.