Italian referee Juan Luca Sacchi is now making controversial headlines due to his behavior towards his colleague. It seems like the 38-year-old is not very welcoming of women in football. His actions have now made him the prime receiver of the public’s wrath for the past few days.
It is sad to see that even on today’s date, there are some people who refuse to acknowledge women in sports and give them the respect they deserve. Juan Luca Sacchi’s behavior has not gone unnoticed, and the referee will have to deal with the consequences of his actions.
Juan Luca Sacchi gets suspended after sexism accusations
On October 7, Lecce and Sassuolo faced each other in a Seria A Round-8 match. The main referee for the game was Juan Luca Sacchi. The 38-year-old made his Serie A debut this year in August. This was Luca’s third time refereeing a Serie A match, and he managed to get immense hate from the public just at the start of his career.
At the beginning of the match, both teams were lined up in the tunnel. After the Italian arrived at the front, he went on to shake the hands of both the team’s captains but ignored his assistant, Francesca Di Monte. The accused avoided Francesca’s outstretched hands and went past her to shake the hand of another player. Both Juan Luca Sacchi and the Italian Referees Association have been receiving hate from the fans since the video surfaced. The organization has now banned the culprit for one round as a punishment for his actions.
AIA clarifies Sacchi’s actions
The Italian Football Referees Association (AIA) tried to defend their employee, saying that there were no sexist intentions behind Juan’s actions. Unfortunately, the statement failed to convince anyone and the AIA had to punish him in the end. Former AIA employee Gianluca Rocchi also scolded Luca in private.
The next Serie A match will see the clash of Victor Osimhen‘s Napoli and Hellas Verona. Hopefully, we will not see such behavior from the referee of that match. The AIA also needs to make sure they hire the right people so nobody feels disrespected or left out.
Juan Luca Sacchi’s case has certainly set an example for all the officials and players who do not treat women athletes as their equals. This incident will surely cause them to be more respectful and careful.
