Referee decision clouds Serie A opener as Genoa accuse Napoli of unfair advantage

Serie A's opening round was overshadowed by controversy after Napoli beat Genoa 2-0 at the Luigi Ferraris, with the first goal — scored by Kevin De Bruyne — provoking accusations from Genoa's sporting director that the referee allowed an irregular situation to stand.

The disputed moment came while the score was 0-0. Genoa defender Johan Vasquez stood in front of De Bruyne as the ball arrived but was pushed, according to Genoa's complaints; De Bruyne then finished the move and opened the scoring.

Referee Marco Di Bello, who had a clear line of sight and even brought his whistle to his mouth, ultimately chose not to call a foul. VAR reviewed the play and concluded there was no "clear and obvious error," so the on-field decision was maintained. De Bruyne later assisted Antonio Vergara for Napoli's second goal.

Strong reaction from Genoa

After the match Genoa sporting director Diego Lopez publicly criticized the officiating in interviews with Sky Sport Italia and DAZN Italy. He warned about Di Bello's appointment, noting the referee had worked in the VAR room last season during a match involving Napoli.

Lopez said: "All of Italy sees what is happening. This referee was in the VAR room last season for the match against Napoli, so naturally we were worried when we learned he had been appointed for this match."

He added: "Luckily there are cameras, so all of Italy can see that there was clear pressure on Vasquez, which created the chance for Napoli to score. The referee saw that and decided not to play, and then VAR decided not to review. We tried to calm the players, knowing that the Genoa board suffered two acknowledged errors from this referee. We know referees are human and can make mistakes, but all of Italy can see what is happening. This happens today," the angry sporting director said.

The incident sparked heated debate on television. Some analysts said De Bruyne committed a clear foul on Vasquez; others argued Vasquez was attempting to accentuate contact and did not have active intent to play the ball. Luca Marelli, a consultant and former referee speaking on DAZN, was blunt: "It should have been whistled. The foul is blatant [...] De Bruyne pushed Vasquez in the back."

Officially, league authorities note the on-field referee makes the decision and VAR intervenes only when a "clear and obvious error" occurred — a threshold VAR judged not to have been met in this case.

Photo: press material from the event