Paolo Di Canio and Luca Marchegiani said Roma should not have been awarded a late penalty against Parma, but Italian actor Luca Zingaretti hit back on social media: ‘Lazio fans, they are bitter about it.’
Roma’s late penalty kick, allowing the Giallorossi to secure a 3-2 comeback win over Parma on Sunday, has caused controversy in Italy.
Referee Daniele Chiffi initially saw a Devyne Rensch foul on Parma defender Sascha Britschgi but changed his mind after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Both players appeared to tug each other’s shirts, but according to Chiffi, it was the Parma defender, who also received a second yellow card, who committed a foul worthy of a penalty.
Paolo Di Canio
Di Canio: VAR check for Roma penalty ‘excessive’
“I’m not sure whether it’s not a penalty, or not a penalty at all,” Di Canio, a former Lazio striker, said during Sky Sport Italia’s post-match show last night via Gazzetta.
“There’s room for doubt with other penalties, but here he lets himself go in front of the opponent and throws himself down. Calling the referee for a VAR check seems excessive to me. To me, one player is pulling the other’s neck, so it’s a foul in Parma’s favour.”
Beppe Bergomi and Alessandro Costacurta argued that Britschgi’s shirt tug was worthy of a penalty, but Marchegiani, another ex-Lazio star, agreed with Di Canio: “It’s not a penalty. VAR shouldn’t have intervened. It should only resolve clear-cut cases. It’s debatable, at the very least.”
PARMA, ITALY – MAY 10: Paulo Dybala of AS Roma takes on Alessandro Circati of Parma Calcio 1913 during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and AS Roma at Stadio Ennio Tardini on May 10, 2026 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Italian actor Zingaretti, a well-known Roma fan, followed the show on TV and reacted to Di Canio and Marchegiani’s claims with an Instagram story: “Can you really have Lazio fans commenting on a penalty awarded to Roma, when you can clearly see they’re bitter about it? Do you really think they’d say it was a penalty?”
