New referee scandal with allegations of ‘plan’ in final round of 2025-26 season

Another investigation has been opened into the Italian Referees’ Association, alleging an ‘irrefutable injustice’ of pushing some officials out despite good performances in the final round of the season.

The scandal had already erupted around previous AIA chief Gianluca Rocchi, who amongst other things was accused of giving unrealistically high scores to referees who he favoured, pushing others down the ranking.

The lower the ranking, the fewer big games they are assigned going forward, or can even be pushed out of the list entirely.

Rocchi stepped down following the launch of that investigation, but the same accusations are now being levelled at his replacement, Dino Tommasi.

AIA representative for the Aquila region, Guido Alfonsi, contacted the same investigative team looking into Rocchi and alleged irregularities in the final round of the 2025-26 season.

He claims that the chiefs assigned to evaluate the referees were swapped at the last minute with no reason given.

They then gave a very low score to referee Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi for Lazio-Pisa, therefore pushing her out of the top 25, and in turn shoving Fabrizio Dionisi out of the list entirely.

This allowed Antonio Rapuano to remain in the list of top referees.

At the end of every season, the AIA has to dismiss five referees, and if they have been working for over 10 years, they must remain in the top 25.

In this case three have been dismissed due to age (Abisso, Piccinini and Pezzuto), plus Massimi and Dionisi.

If Ferrieri Caputi had received a better score for Lazio-Pisa, then she would’ve been 25th and Rapuano would be dismissed instead of Dionisi.

“The method of Dionisi’s dismissal raises perplexing questions,” noted Alfonsi in his allegation.

“The score of 8.40 to Ferrieri Caputi is the only thing that could’ve without doubt caused the dismissal of Federico Dionisi, the indirect victim of this plan.

“All the associates saw what I could define, without fear, the consummation of an irrefutable injustice. It is clear that the vote of 8.40 given to Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi was certainly ordered from above, seeing as her performance was free of errors.”