Cagliari president Giulini fumes over VAR

Cagliari president Tommaso Guilini slated the video assistant referee (VAR) interpretation and hinted there is a bias towards Serie A’s bigger clubs following Saturday’s 1-0 loss to reigning Serie A champions Juventus.

Two significant talking points emerged from Juve’s win in Sardinia, with Federico Bernardeschi’s goal following a Mehdi Benatia elbow to Leonardo Pavoletti.

Moments later, Bernardeschi appeared to block a Simone Padoin cross with his arm, but the referee did not refer to VAR.

Referee Gianpaolo Calvarese was chased down the tunnel upon the final whistle and after the match, an irate Giulini bemoaned his club’s status, along with the refereeing.

“Unfortunately, I was unable to work out why they didn’t check it,” he told Mediaset Premium.

“We are gambling for our lives in games like this, it already happened in Rome and we are good only to a degree. If people want a competitive league, it’s one thing, but if they want a league where all the big clubs always win, then they should tell us.”

Cagliari now sit five points from the relegation zone in Serie A, with important matches against SPAL and Crotone coming up in the next month.

For Giulini, though, the match against Juventus seemed salvageable.

“It’s incredible such a thing wasn’t viewed again on the VAR. Incredible,” he said. “It’s just as bad as the Dries Mertens handball against Crotone.

“Bernardeschi was already booked, so he would likely have been sent off too for that handball. We would’ve been content if the referee had at least gone over to view the VAR himself. I want it explained to me how this VAR system works.”