Sarri Slams Referees After Controversial Inter Match

In the aftermath of Lazio's match against Inter Milan on November 8th, 2025, Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri has strongly criticized the standard of refereeing in Italy's Serie A. Sarri was particularly incensed by a sequence of events in the game where he felt the referee made a crucial mistake.

According to Sarri, Lautaro Martínez of Inter should have received a yellow card for a foul on Lazio's Mattia Zaccagni. However, the referee not only failed to book the Argentine forward, but also forced Zaccagni to leave the pitch. Sarri said that this sequence of events "almost led to a goal" for Inter, and that even "Padre Pio would have gotten angry" over the referee's handling of the situation.

Sarri did not hold back in his assessment of the refereeing in Serie A, stating bluntly: "I don't see any referees up to the task, including tonight's." The Lazio manager went on to suggest that Serie A should consider "renting" referees from abroad to improve the standard of officiating in the league.

Despite the controversial refereeing, Sarri did find some positives in Lazio's performance, noting that the team "recovered and stayed in the game until the end" after conceding the opening goal. He expressed confidence that Lazio will "start again with this mentality" as they look to bounce back from the defeat.