Fabio Capello Unleashes Brutal Italian Referee Rant After Big Errors: ‘Understand So Little’

Fabio Capello has hit out at a recent string of officiating errors in Italy, believing referees do not understand the game.

Fabio Capello Criticises Christian Pulisic Goal Gaffe

On Monday, the AIA (Italian Referees’ Association) confirmed Christian Pulisic’s goal in AC Milan’s 2-2 draw with Sassuolo had been incorrectly disallowed.

Milan were leading 2-1 at the San Siro when the American bundled in a third goal before the hour mark. However, referee Valerio Crezzini chalked the effort off for an apparent foul by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Replays subsequently showed the contact from the midfielder had been minimal during the build-up. Milan’s frustration only worsened when Armand Lauriente’s 77th-minute equaliser forced them to settle for a point.

Crezzini was accused of ‘botching’ the match through a string of errors, while his peers have similarly come under fire in recent weeks.

Capello, distinctly unimpressed with the standard of officiating, has now issued a scathing verdict.

He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “It’s something that only happens in Italy, with these referees and this VAR system who understand so little about football. It’s not a dance, where the first push is called for a foul.”

The 79-year-old had also criticised the decision to award Napoli a penalty in their 3-1 victory against Inter Milan in October, describing the incident as ‘non-existent’.

Italian clubs have been equally dogged by refereeing controversy in Europe. Indeed, Felix Zwayer was branded “incompetent” after giving Liverpool a controversial spot-kick against Inter Milan in the Champions League. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up to score the last-gasp winner at the San Siro.

🤷‍♂️ We still have no idea why this goal from Pulisic was disallowed.

📸 @erroriarbitrali pic.twitter.com/m9qcEb6FRN

— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) December 15, 2025

Fabio Capello’s Title Race Prediction

Capello also waded into the debate over the likely Serie A winner, tipping Inter Milan to come out on top.

“Inter favourite? Yes: they have more players and can rest, using substitutes that no other competitor has in the squad,” he added. “Good rotation, which allows the team to maintain its level, can bring important results.

“Milan and Napoli do not have replacements of the same level, although I put the Azzurri behind Inter once they recover all injured players. The others will fight for a Champions League spot.”

Explaining why Milan, his former club, will not be in contention come next May, Capello described them as “strange”. He also pointed to their habit of slipping up against clubs further down the top-flight table.