If you were watching the fixture that saw Pierre Kalulu given his marching orders, you might have assumed the man in the middle, Federico La Penna, wa...
If you were watching the fixture that saw Pierre Kalulu given his marching orders, you might have assumed the man in the middle, Federico La Penna, was in for a spell of quiet contemplation and perhaps a weekend off. That was not the case. Instead, the Italian Referees Association decided to hand him a special award for the 2025. 26 season, a move that has left supporters and pundits alike scratching their heads.Let us be clear about what happened on the pitch that afternoon. Kalulu's challenge was robust, yes, but it was hardly the kind of cynical, leg breaking lunge that warrants a straight red in the modern game. Slow motion replays showed the defender getting a faint touch on the ball, his studs were not showing, and the contact with the opponent was minimal. Yet La Penna, from his vantage point perhaps twenty yards away, was utterly convinced. He reached for his pocket, the red card was flourished, and the match was effectively turned on its head. The decision was so palpably wrong that even the most partisan of home fans admitted the referee had bottled a crucial moment.Now we are expected to believe that the same official is the best Italy has to offer. This is not a question of La Penna's overall career, he may well have a handful of solid performances to his name. But handing out a seasonal accolade on the back of such an obvious error sends a peculiar message. It suggests that the governing body either does not care about objective decision making or, worse, that it believes La Penna's overall body of work is so strong that one catastrophic howler is of no consequence. Supporters of the club that lost a man that day, and perhaps three points as a result, will find that logic hard to swallow.There is a deeper problem here regarding accountability in elite officiating. When a player makes a hash of a pass, he is dropped. When a manager picks the wrong formation, the press has his head. But for too long, referees have been protected by a veil of institutional loyalty. By awarding La Penna in this manner, the association has effectively declared that getting a red card decision completely wrong is not a stain on your record. It is a minor inconvenience. That is not a healthy dynamic for a league that prides itself on tactical discipline and respect for the laws of the game.The irony, of course, is that technology exists to help avoid these very moments. VAR was supposed to be the safety net, the quiet voice in the ear saying, "take another look". Yet La Penna, it seems, either ignored the advice or was not given it in time. If the award is meant to be a reward for consistency and temperament, then this particular incident suggests a worrying lack of both. The question GoalZaza readers will be asking is simple: if this is the benchmark for excellence, then what constitutes a failure Perhaps we are about to find out the hard way.
