Daniele Orsato's judgment was clear: the red sanction to Malen for the episode in Como was correct, but the decision on ElAzzouzi's blow in Lecce was more controversial. Orsato explained to the media that his vision of football and refereeing was put to the test in two very similar matches, but treated differently by referee Fabbri, who gave his performance a rating of 4 out of 5.
In Saturday's match, Malen was sent off for a strained right leg that could have put Kaiki's safety at risk. Orsato defined the decision as "unequivocally correct". Shortly afterwards, my colleague Pairetto judged ElAzzouzi's entry against Ndri as yellow, arguing that the force and height of the impact could have caused danger. The referee, however, considered that ElAzzouzi's leg was not completely tense and that the impact was higher, reaching both legs. The difference in interpretation meant that, in an identical context, the sanction was different, with implications on the final result.
Orsato cited "Rizzoli's ass", an expression that refers to the legend of the former Bologna's fortune, to indicate that the situation was destined to end in some way. He also mentioned Simonelli's comment, "Anything goes, as long as there is technical uniformity", which highlights the need for consistency in refereeing decisions. With the season still underway, discussion about the consistency of sanctions remains a hot topic as teams prepare for their upcoming meetings.