WATCH: Serie A Referee set to face suspension after REFUSING to shake hands with female assistant
Juan Luca Sacchi was in charge of the Lecce vs. Sassuolo game in the Serie A.
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Juan Luca Sacchi and Francesca Di Monte. (Via Goalzz & Alamy)
Lecce faced off against Sassuolo on Saturday. Either club shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw on the night. However, it was not the game, but rather an incident prior to it that made headlines. The Serie A Referee, Juan Luca Sacchi was in charge of the game. He was assisted by female referee Francesca Di Monte.
The incident that sparked controversy occurred inside the tunnel.
As the players were lined up on either side of the tunnel, Sacchi was making his way to the front. However, his assistant, Di Monte was already standing at the entrance. It is customary for the Referee to greet the players with a handshake inside the tunnel. However, it is not mandatory. In a video that has then gone viral, we see Sacchi shaking hands with either captain.
However, the video clearly captures the referee opting not to shake Di Monte’s hand. He is seen pulling out of the handshake just prior to when Di Monte stretches her hand.
From the video, it seems visible that Di Monte was confused. She is seen shaking her head and holding a suppressed smirk as they walk out of the tunnel. Sacchi is set to be suspended for a round of Serie A fixtures following the incident.
Serie A defending champions Napoli fall to Fiorentina
Napoli were up against Fiorentina in Serie A on Monday. Gli Azzurri was on the back of a 2-3 defeat against Real Madrid. But the game against Fiorentina didn’t see them bounce back after the loss. Up until the end of the first half, the game looked perfectly balanced at 1-1. However, the visitors pulled away with two goals in the second half marking a defeat for the Naples. The loss meant that Napoli remained 5th in the table.
Josip Brekalo opened the scoring for Fiorentina. His powerful shot went through the legs of Meret and into the side netting. Victor Osimhen slotted home from the penalty spot to draw his side level. He converted from the spot after being fouled by Fiorentina keeper Terracciano.
However, the equalizer turned out to be a mere consolation as the game progressed. Giacomo Bonaventura pushed his side into the lead from a good build-up goal. The player was recently also called up to the Italian squad, and since then he seems to have become ‘unstoppable’.
Fiorentina dealt the killer blow late into injury time as Nicolas Gonzalez finished off a move to ensure the away side took home all 3 points on the night. The win meant that Fiorentina are unbeaten in their last seven games. The club has 17 points in 8 games. Moreover, they are one spot above Napoli, on 4th.
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Syed Talib Haider
(1039 Articles Published)