AC Milan controversially failed to beat Udinese in the 2021-2022 Serie A continuation. Paolo Maldini as the Rossoneri’s technical director assumed there is conspiracy that could harm his team.
In the match that took place at the San Siro, Saturday (26/2) morning WIB, Milan and Udinese drew 1-1. These results has made the position of Il Diavolo Rosso prone to being evicted from the top of the standings.
Milan started the game well when Rafael Leao broke the deadlock in the 29th minute. After taking the lead, the hosts became more confident.
But Milan conceded a goal by Destiny Udogie when the game entered the 66th minute. The problem is, this goal reeks of handball.
Udogie listed his name on the scoreboard after welcoming Roberto Pereyra’s kick in Milan’s goal. However, from the replay, he was seen using his hands in that moment.
The Milan players quickly protested this goal. They demanded the referee to check via VAR.
The VAR watchdog eventually did check on the incident. But the goal was still declared valid.
Surprisingly, Matteo Marchetti as the referee was not checking the live replay. This became the basis for Maldini’s suspicions.
VAR exists to dispel doubts. But this is not the procedure that should be followed and this is not the first time,” Maldini told Milan TV.
“It was an obvious incident, we need people who understand football to make decisions and that means referees.”
Maldini alluded to Milan’s status as the top of the Serie A standings. He felt that there were a number of people who were unhappy with this condition.
Maldini certainly knows Serie A inside and out. So it’s understandable that he feels there are efforts to tackle Milan’s steps.
“I will add more, and I send this message to people who need to receive it: Milan are at the top of the table and we shouldn’t always have a debuting referee at the San Siro,” added Maldini.
“It’s not easy to take the lead at the San Siro. Unfortunately, the referee made a lot of mistakes.”
Marchetti himself is indeed a new referee in Serie A. His debut in leading the Italian League’s highest caste match only occurred last season.
So far this season, Marchetti has only led Serie A games six times. However, he has already issued 28 yellow cards.
Udogie’s handball moment was not the only controversy in this match. Marchetti also briefly angered Milan’s players when he stopped the game when the hosts had the advantage to counter-attack.