De Rossi criticizes the Inter-Juventus controversy: ‘the most stupid VAR rule’

The atmosphere in Italian football is heated, and the latest controversy surrounding the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus has only complicated matters further. Daniele De Rossi, coach of Genoa, did not hold back in criticizing the decision to send off Pierre Kalulu, who, according to him, was a victim of the “most stupid VAR rule.” With a 3-2 victory for the nerazzurri, the match was marked by moments of tension and questionable decisions that sparked waves of outrage.

At the heart of the dispute, Kalulu, a defender for Juventus, was sent off in the 42nd minute after receiving a second yellow card. The first warning was deemed excessive by the Italian press, while the second was labeled “absurd” and “nonexistent.” The incident that led to the second yellow card occurred during a foul on Alessandro Bastoni, where replays showed that the Inter player went down dramatically. This scene further infuriated Juve fans and management, especially since Bastoni was also under threat of dismissal due to his own yellow card.

The controversy did not stop there. Gianluca Rocchi, the referee in charge, admitted that there was an error but clarified that the decision could not be reviewed by VAR, as it was a second yellow card and not a direct red card. This situation sparked heated debates about the need to revise VAR rules, especially with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.

De Rossi, who has expressed his frustration with refereeing in recent weeks, saw his own team lose to a controversial last-minute penalty, which led him to question the clarity of decisions in today’s football. “No one knows what a clear and obvious error is anymore. We don’t know if we should step on a foot or just pass by,” he lamented after the defeat against Napoli. He emphasized that players have to adapt to a style of play that seems to not correspond to the essence of the football he once knew.

Commenting on the situation surrounding the Derby d’Italia, De Rossi stated that it is positive for an incident like this to occur in a match of such magnitude, as it draws global attention. “The only good thing about what happened is that it was a game between Juve and Inter, which gets the whole world talking about it. It’s a game that everyone watches and is extremely important in Italy,” he highlighted.

The coach did not hesitate to reaffirm his position on VAR rules, stating that the most absurd rule is that a second yellow card is not treated with the same seriousness as a direct red. “It would be easy to change this in two days. Every second yellow must be reviewed starting tomorrow. It’s hard to find someone who disagrees that a second yellow is as impactful as a red card, and it alters the game even more than a goal or a penalty,” concluded De Rossi, highlighting the urgent need for a review of the rules governing modern football.

In the landscape of Italian football, where every decision can change the course of a season, De Rossi’s voice resonates as a call for justice and clarity in the rules, in a constant struggle against the arbitrariness that affects the beauty of the game.