AIA Annoyed By Sarri's Latest Statement Against VAR And Referees

The head of the referees is reportedly concerned about Maurizio Sarri's VAR allegations and his assessment of referee Simone Soza's performance after Lazio's game against Napoli last Saturday night

Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri was very disappointed with Simone Sozza, who refereed his side's defeat by Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico last Saturday night, and in the final minutes of the game, when Mario Rui appeared to elbow Manuel Lazzari in the box in the penalty area but VAR wasn't involved with this incident.

"Either the people in the VAR cabin are not doing their jobs well, or the alternatives are very worrying," the Tuscan coach told Sky Sport Italia.

"I think action should be taken and top referees should take serious action.

"It was as if the referee saw us against Bologna and they decided to put pressure on us and made it clear from the start that this was the result."

According to La Gazetta dello Sport, the head of the referees believes that Sozza did a good job officiating at the Stadio Olimpico yesterday.

While there was no official statement from the AIA (Italian Federation of Referees), an unofficial response has leaked, suggesting the head of the referee was surprised and concerned by Sarri's statement.

The Biancoceleste have taken eight points from their first five games of the 2022/23 season and will make their Europa League debut against Feyenoord on Thursday.