Watch: ‘Embarrassing’: Juventus directors blast referee’s decision in ‘controversial’ Inter defeat

Juventus directors Giorgio Chiellini and Damien Comolli protested the ‘totally unacceptable’ and ‘embarrassing’ refereeing in their 3-2 defeat to Inter, asking referees’ chief Gianluca Rocchi to resign.

It was a chaotic Derby d’Italia and a controversial one too, with Andrea Cambiaso scoring at both ends, then Manuel Locatelli replying to the Francesco Pio Esposito header.

Even when down to 10 men, Juve kept fighting back for 2-2 and eventually capitulated at the 90th minute when Piotr Zielinski’s strike went through Locatelli’s legs to wrong-foot an uncertain Michele Di Gregorio.

Luciano Spalletti, Damien Comolli & Giorgio Chiellini confronting the referee at Inter Milan 3-2 Juventus. The ref showed Pierre Kalulu red card just before HT.

Spalletti did not speak to the media at FT, Juve reportedly sent Chiellini & Comolli instead.pic.twitter.com/GXj7r0eb36

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That Pierre Kalulu red card just before half-time changed the game, as the second yellow was awarded for no contact with Alessandro Bastoni.

Luciano Spalletti did not speak to the media, as Juventus sent directors Chiellini and Comolli instead.

Kalulu on a yellow card

Bastoni on a yellow card

Bastoni dives (illegal)

Bastoni asks for a yellow card (illegal)

Kalulu gets the red card. pic.twitter.com/VnXJk4ltfR

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“We cannot talk about football after what happened today,” Chiellini told Sky Sport Italia.

“Something completely unacceptable happened today, it doesn’t matter whether it happens to us or someone else, and from tomorrow, presumably VAR will have to change, because it is not acceptable that so many errors keep happening even in big games like this.

“We’ve been trying to say since the start of the season that the level of refereeing is not up to the task, and this, unfortunately, is the spectacle we showed to the rest of the world today. It happened to many teams this season, we have to change, we cannot keep procrastinating the way we always do in Italian football.”

Kalulu made the ‘VAR’ gesture with his hands, but they could not intervene because the protocol bans them from getting involved in yellow-card situations.

This, too, is something that might be changed when IFAB re-evaluates the rules from now on, along with giving coaches the option of requesting a certain number of VAR appeals.

“It has been since the start of the season that many clubs have been complaining that the infrastructure is just not at the level of Serie A. I don’t know if they’re not trained properly, not up to the task, whatever the reason for it, the fact is the referees are not up to the standard of Serie A football.”