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Fraud case against ex-Serie A referee chief dropped

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Milan's public prosecutor has dismissed the case against former Italian referee designator Gianluca Rocchi and his deputy Andrea Gervasoni for alleged sports fraud. Rocchi, who headed referees in Serie A and Serie B, was investigated in April for allegedly influencing VAR decisions and altering referee selections.

However, the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office stated it found "no evidence of a structured system aimed at interfering with appointments." The investigation covered incidents during the 2024-25 season, including an alleged change of referee for an Inter Milan match and interference with VAR protocols during a match between Udinese and Parma on March 1, 2025. Documents from the latter incident were forwarded to Monza's prosecutor.

Rocchi stepped down during the investigation and was succeeded by Dino Tommasi and then Daniele Orsato. Rocchi's lawyer, Antonio D'Avirro, expressed his client's relief, stating, "Fortunately, the situation was resolved quickly, even though the price Rocchi had to pay was steep." He further argued that the alleged actions were intended to correct errors, not alter match results.