Referee designer Gianluca Rocchi uses two Parma goals to explain the Serie A approach to stopping goalkeepers. ‘I don’t want to see the situation in other leagues with five players in a six-yard box.’
Every week, during a regular program called Open VAR, the most recent Serie A refereeing incidents are analyzed in depth with footage from the VAR booth as well as audio of their interactions with officials on the pitch.
PISA, Italy – MARCH 2: General view of the VAR monitor inside the Arena Garibaldi stadium in Pisa during the Serie A match between Pisa SC and Bologna FC 1909 at the Arena Garibaldi on March 2, 2026 in Pisa, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Advertisement
This time, designer Rocchi, who came under fire for even more controversy in week 27, was the guest representing the AIA (Italian Referees Association).
those involved Milan complained after Parma’s goal was allowed against them a week ago, but a similar challenge on the goalkeeper was not penalized when Parma played Cagliari this weekend.
Rocchi rejects Premier League refereeing model
MILAN, Italy – JANUARY 08: Lorenzo Colombo of Genoa scores his team’s first goal after beating AC Milan’s Mike Maignan during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Genoa CFC at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on January 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Lujani/Getty Images)
Advertisement
“I repeat that the goal in Milan-Parma was legitimate, but I did not like the way it was communicated at all,” Rochi explained.
“with Parma-Cagliari, However, referee Massimi explains the situation to the players before the corner. As long as the players are standing still, there is nothing in our rules that obliges us to intervene.
“In other leagues, we see five players standing still inside the six-yard box. On the other hand, we must also protect the goalkeeper and allow him freedom of movement. There are certain movements that impede the goalkeeper, in that situation we can intervene.
“The referee did very well, because he saw the contact between Valenti and Caprile and ruled a foul in favor of Cagliari,” Rocchi insisted.
Parma, Italy – February 27: Cagliari Calcio’s Semih Kiliksoy plays the ball during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on February 27, 2026 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabatini/Getty Images)
Advertisement
The reference to other leagues was primarily the Premier League, where Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has particularly struggled at Tottenham Hotspur in dealing with set play crowding of the box, which is traditionally not allowed in Serie A.
This tactic is now also spreading in Italian football, and referees are forced to explain what constitutes a foul on the goalkeeper.
Rocchi added, “I don’t want to see the situations that I see in other leagues, which would be critical situations for us.”
“I am speaking here for Italian football as a whole, and in my view, we cannot allow that a goalkeeper is not given the freedom to play. This does not take away from the fact that there is nothing in the rule book that says a player cannot stand in the six-yard box. We will be very careful in evaluating these moves from now on.”
