Ielo shelves the “arbitropoli” case – a farcical file that need never have been opened

The story of an investigation that ended in boos and fiascos. This concerns the so-called ‘Arbitropoli’ investigation, which Milan’s deputy public prosecutor Maurizio Ascione had been conducting – single-handedly – since 2024. It stemmed from an outlandish complaint lodged with the Milan public prosecutor’s office by a lawyer and Verona fan, who claimed that, following an alleged foul by Inter during a goal, the VAR had failed to alert the referee. For Ascione, this was sufficient grounds to investigate referee coordinator Gianluca Rocchi for sporting fraud. This rock-solid line of inquiry was supplemented by other investigations, reports from referees regarding an alleged “system” of internal pressure and favours, and telephone calls – the originators of which were never identified. The investigation only came to light in the press a few months ago for a series of bizarre reasons. Firstly, Ascione was transferred to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome and had to hand over the reins. Secondly, there was the media furore that ensued – notably a memorable article in "Il Corriere" built entirely on phrases such as ‘a further conclusion that can be drawn’ and ‘at present it is not possible to understand’. In other words, nothing, and indeed nothing ever emerged.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Paolo Ielo was tasked with unravelling the investigative tangle; after reviewing the case, he decided to request that it be dropped. End of story. Or not quite, because Ascione tried to oppose the premature closure of his investigation, only to sign the request in the end. The matter will now be decided by the investigating magistrate.

Apart from the referees, the other club under media scrutiny – though not officially under investigation – was Inter. It has long been established that there are no findings, statements or wiretaps relating to them. For the time being, a part of the investigation in Monza into VAR-related rumours remains, as does the file forwarded to the sports disciplinary authorities, who will assess whether to proceed on grounds of sporting fraud. It is not clear, at present, on what grounds. The only thing that is clear is that this is yet another investigation into alleged ‘football corruption’ based on nothing, which could easily have been avoided; it is driven by the judiciary’s desire to be in the limelight – something which, frankly, we could have done without.