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MILAN (AP) \u2014 Milan\u2019s public prosecutor has dismissed the case against former Italian referee designator Gianluca Rocchi and his deputy Andrea Gervasoni for alleged sports fraud.<\/p>\n
Rocchi, who was the head of referees in Serie A and Serie B, was placed under criminal investigation<\/a><\/span> in April. He was accused of influencing VAR decisions and altering the selection of referees.<\/p>\n However, a statement issued by the Milan Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office on Wednesday said that it had found \u201cno evidence of a structured system aimed at interfering with appointments.\u201d<\/p>\n Rocchi was under investigation for incidents during the 2024-25 season. He allegedly changed the official for an Inter Milan match to one who was more favorable toward the Nerazzurri.<\/p>\n Inter, which finished a point behind Serie A champion Napoli that season, was not implicated.<\/p>\n Rocchi was also alleged to have interfered with VAR protocols during a Serie A match between Udinese and Parma on March 1, 2025, by banging on the window of the VAR booth and recommending that the officials call for an on-field review of a penalty.<\/p>\n The documents relating to that incident have been passed to the Monza Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office as the site of the VAR Operations room comes under their jurisdiction.<\/p>\n Rocchi immediately stepped down during the investigation and was first replaced by Dino Tommasi and then by Daniele Orsato.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve spoken to him and he is very pleased; now we will consider our next steps. I\u2019m meeting him tomorrow to discuss the matter in detail,\u201d said Rocchi\u2019s lawyer, Antonio D\u2019Avirro. \u201dFortunately, the situation was resolved quickly, even though the price Rocchi had to pay was steep.<\/p>\n \u201cI fail to see how those \u2018knocks\u2019 could constitute sporting fraud; they were intended to correct a serious error the referee was making, certainly not to alter the match result. From a legal standpoint, I do not see how a case for sporting fraud could be established.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n AP soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n