Referee 'facing suspension' after refusing to shake female official's hand

09 October 2023 , 22:10

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The incident occurred ahead of Sassuolo's Serie A clash against Lecce

Serie A referee Juan Luca Sacchi is set to be handed a ‘one-match suspension’ after appearing to refuse to shake the hand of his female assistant referee Francesca Di Monte.

The incident took place ahead of Friday night’s Italian top-flight clash between Sassuolo and Lecce – although it has drawn contrasting reactions. Sacchi was walking to the head of the tunnel ahead of the clash at Stadio Via del Mare, in which the teams and his assistants were already situated.

As he reached the end of the tunnel, where the officials would lead the players out onto the pitch, Sacchi’s hand was automatically shaken by Sassuolo captain Gian Marco Ferrari on his right, before he turned to his left to seek out the hand of Lecce skipper Gabriel Strefezza.

However, it was at this juncture where the awkward incident occurred. As Sacchi turned his head, his assistant Di Monte had already offered her hand to shake his – which appeared to take the referee aback.

Sacchi, who appeared to be slightly flustered by the incident, lifted his hand out of the way of Di Monte and instead sought that of Lecce’s Strefezza – who was standing directly behind her. Images shared on social media showed how the assistant official was left looking disgruntled by the episode.

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While Sacchi, 38, has been criticised for ignoring her outstretched hand, it has been argued that this was not the protocol for officials – who shared the same facilities ahead of the match and would have already warmed up together. The referee did not seek or shake the hand of the other assistant official.

Sacchi may face a one-match suspension over the awkward incident (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Di Monte could not hide her disdain after the handshake snub

Instead, it is standard for the referee to shake hands with both captains before the teams make their way out onto the pitch – a process which is then repeated in the centre circle area, where the two captains also typically embrace before a coin toss to decide which side kicks off and which direction they attack in the first half.

Football Italia cites a report in TMW which claims that Sacchi will now be suspended from action for at least one match, after referee designator Gianluca Rocchi was said to be privately furious with the images that have been leaked on social media.

There is yet to be any confirmation from the AIA – Italian Referees Association – on any potential consequences for Sacchi. The concern would be that their reputation has been tarnished by the episode, even if the official may not have done anything wrong other than awkwardly avoiding the outstretched hand of his female assistant.

Colin Millar