AC Milan contested the refereeing decision that led to Bologna's third goal in Sunday's match, claiming that contact between Luka Modric and Filippo Pobega could have been considered a foul. The episode was also the subject of discussion on a podcast dedicated to football, where former referees Gianpaolo Calvarese and Piero Giacomelli analyzed the scene.
In the podcast “Gian&Giac”, published on the YouTube channel “calVAResegiuanpaolo”, the two former referees expressed their assessment. Giacomelli declared that the contact between Modric and Pobega was "normal game contact". According to him, Pobega, bigger and more robust, tried to make his way legitimately against Modric, who is lighter. “The contact may have caused the fall, but it does not justify the intensity of the defender's intervention,” he explained, underlining that there is no reason to consider the action a foul.
Calvarese added that, reviewing the action, he noticed that immediately after Modric's fall the ball passed to Bartesaghi and then to Pulisic, who took the ball with their head. “So it wouldn't be in the app (penalty area) if the ball had remained in Bologna's possession,” he noted, highlighting that the possession situation changed quickly and that the decision to concede the goal was correct.
Milan, who lost 3-0 to Bologna, expressed their frustration with the referee's decision, claiming that the defeat was partly due to that controversial call. The club asked for a more in-depth analysis of the case, asking whether a foul had been committed by Pobega.
Bologna, however, maintained their position, stating that the decision was correct and that the ball had been correctly handled after Modric's fall. The match had repercussions on the Serie A standings, with Milan finding themselves in a lower position compared to their rivals.
Overall, the episode raised questions about refereeing and the management of contact situations on the pitch. Milan is now preparing to recover the season, while Bologna will continue to consolidate their position in the league table. Milan's next match will be against Inter, where the club hopes to get back on track and demonstrate that it can compete at the highest level.