For many, the last two days have not seen the anger that resulted from Federico La Penna’s refereeing decisions subside all that much. That’s mainly because it is the latest occurrence of just how far the quality of refereeing in Italy has fallen over the last five or 10 years. The gold standard of refereeing is something Italy used to — not anymore, though.
Juventus lost to Inter Milan on Saturday night.
The outcome, however, has become secondary to the refereeing blunders that La Penna was at the center
of at San Siro, with the sending off of Pierre Kalulu being the main protagonist in a series of decisions that played key roles in the final outcome.
For as much as the Italian press loves to stir up a small situation into a controversy, there was no need to manufacture something on this night for the next day’s papers. They were handed something on a silver platter. This was La Penna and his numerous mistakes coming to the fore and Inter being the sole beneficiary of them.
Welcome to Serie A in 2026.
You can listen to Episode 325 of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast on the player below or your favorite podcast platform. No matter how you listen, we appreciate your continued support.
To our dear listeners: Please look for the latest episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast to drop every Monday morning/afternoon for those of you who live in the United States. (Please adjust your time zone accordingly if you live outside of the U.S. or Canada.)
If you happen to listen to the Old Lady Speaks Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe to the show and give us a nice five-star rating and maybe even a sweet review because it is very nice to see that our podcast is being enjoyed by you all. The more you say nice things about us, the more we will continue to love you forever and ever and ever. We promise.
