An investigation that shakes the Italian arbitration world and which has its roots in a report that remained in the background for a long time. The name from which it all starts is that of Domenico Rocca, former referee assistant, whose complaint contributed to the emergence of the first doubts about possible interference in match decisions.
Who is Rocca and what did he report
Originally from Pizzo Calabro, Rocca refereed up to Serie C before taking on the role of assistant. In 2025 he presented a complaint reporting alleged interference by the referee designer Gianluca Rocchi in the dynamics of the VAR, claiming that there were interventions not foreseen by the protocol during some game situations.
According to reports, the former assistant described episodes in which the designator approached the VAR room to solicit the attention of the officials, indirectly influencing the decisions to be taken on the pitch. A reconstruction which, despite having been archived on a sporting level, left open questions which were then taken up again by the criminal investigation.
The relationship with politics
Domenico Rocca was elected municipal councilor in Pizzo in the 2022 electoral campaign and was appointed councilor in the Pititto council.
The connection with the current investigation
It is precisely from those reports that the current investigative framework takes shape, which aims to verify any influences in referee designations and operational choices during matches. The VAR episode in the Udinese-Parma match is now one of the central points of the investigation, together with other situations linked to the 2024-2025 season.
Rocca’s role, therefore, is not that of a suspect but of a key figure in bringing out a system under observation, bringing the theme of autonomy and transparency in the world of arbitration back to the center of the debate.