Former Serie A referee claims Parma winner against Milan ‘not worthy of on-field review’

The controversy surrounding Parma’s winning goal against Milan at San Siro shows no sign of dying down, with prominent refereeing analyst and former official Luca Marelli wading into the debate.

Marelli, who serves as DAZN’s leading referee analyst and is one of the most respected voices in Italian football on such matters, focused his assessment on two key moments: the contact between Troilo and Bartesaghi, and the block by Valenti on goalkeeper Mike Maignan that preceded the goal.

On the Troilo-Bartesaghi contact, Marelli was relatively relaxed, agreeing with former Milan midfielder Massimo Ambrosini that the incident should be considered legal.

Bartesaghi, he argued, appeared to buckle under only slight pressure, while Troilo jumped largely unimpeded, enough to deem it within the rules.

Marelli: ‘Parma winner against Milan not worthy of on-field review’

It was Valenti’s block on Maignan that drew Marelli’s sharpest criticism.

Citing Rule 12 of the Laws of the Game, specifically the section on obstruction, he argued the block constituted a clear attempt to impede the goalkeeper’s movement at the moment the corner was struck. “In terms of the regulations, this goal should not have stood,” he said plainly, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

However, Marelli reserved perhaps his most pointed remarks for the VAR process itself.

Despite concluding the block was irregular, he argued the incident did not meet the threshold required for an on-field review.

“Are we looking at a clear and obvious error? No,” he said. “Piccinini spent a very long time at the monitor, he was clearly in doubt. And if there is doubt, it is not worthy of an OFR.”

Referee Piccinini had initially disallowed the goal before reversing his decision following a lengthy VAR review, a process Marelli believes should never have taken place.