Rocchi suspends himself as prosecutors probe alleged sporting fraud

Gianluca Rocchi has temporarily suspended himself from his role overseeing referee appointments for Serie A and Serie B after being placed under investigation by prosecutors in Milan for alleged sporting fraud.Rocchi, 52, said he took the decision to protect the refereeing organisation while the legal process runs, with VAR supervisor Andrea Gervasoni also stepping aside after being placed under investigation.Rocchi said in a statement released via the Italian Referees Association: “This choice, painful, difficult but shared with my family, is intended to allow the legal proceedings to run their course properly, from which I am sure I will come out unscathed and stronger than before.”The investigation relates to incidents from the 2024–25 season, with Italian media reporting allegations that Rocchi interfered with VAR protocols and influenced referee selections linked to Inter.One episode under scrutiny is a March 1, 2025 Serie A match between Udinese and Parma, where Rocchi is alleged to have pressured officials in relation to an on-field review.Separate reporting has also focused on referee appointments involving Inter, including claims around the removal of Daniele Doveri from certain fixtures and the wider question of whether appointments were shaped by perceived club preferences.Rocchi’s lawyer, Antonio D’Avirro, has challenged the structure of the case, arguing that prosecutors are pursuing an alleged “agreement” without identifying other parties beyond Rocchi.“These are disputes I can’t understand, because the concurrence of several people was reported, but these other people have not been identified,” D’Avirro said, adding that prosecutors must indicate who the other subjects are in an alleged agreement.Inter president Giuseppe Marotta denied any involvement and said the club had been “stunned” by what it learned from media reporting.“We do not have referees that we favour or are unfavourable towards, we are confident that we acted entirely fairly,” Marotta said. “We are safe in the knowledge that Inter are not involved in this situation and will not be involved in the future.”The immediate business risk is reputational and operational, with heightened scrutiny on match governance likely to raise pressure on league leadership, integrity processes, and communications with broadcast, betting and commercial partners.A key near-term milestone is Rocchi’s expected hearing with the Milan prosecutor’s office on April 30, while football authorities have signalled the case could also prompt action within the sport’s own regulatory framework if new evidence emerges.