The president of the Italian Referees' Association reveals what happened to the goal-line technology after Torino took the lead against Milan: 'It's the first time we've seen anything like this'
The opening week of the 2024-25 Serie A season has already been marked by turmoil and controversy.
Raul Bellanova's header ricocheted inside the far post and Malik Thiaw got tangled up in a goal-line clearance.
Everyone turned to the referee to see if the goal-line technology had been activated, and he signaled play should continue, but then stopped a few minutes later to confirm it was a goal.
Naturally, questions were asked and answered by AIA President Carlo Pacifici.
“There was a technical problem with the goal-line technology. This is the first time something like this has happened,” he told the ANSA news agency.
“The system showed the ball had crossed the line, but the signal did not reach the watch or the referee's earpiece.”
Goal-line technology fails during Milan vs. Torino match
If the goal-line technology itself had malfunctioned rather than just not sending a signal to the referee, that would be a much bigger issue to address.
As there was no signal, the VAR official quickly rechecked the ball's position and informed referee Maresca.
“Following procedure, the VAR officials used the same system that applies for offside, with the appropriate boundary line and the result was perfect.
“Fortunately, we have two different technology systems we can rely on.”
Turin led 2-0 at San Siro but Milan fought back with goals from Alvaro Morata and Noah Okafor to earn a 2-2 draw.
