Referee faces lengthy suspension over Inter-Juventus red card debacle as fans target family with death threats

According to reports in Italy, La Penna has filed a formal complaint with police after receiving a series of terrifying messages on social media. The threats were not limited to the referee himself; his family was also targeted with harrowing messages including "I'll shoot you," "I'll kill you," and "we will come and find you, we know where you live." 

As a professional lawyer outside of football, La Penna has moved quickly to document the abuse and seek legal protection against the perpetrators of these cowardly acts.

On the pitch, the consequences for the official are set to be significant. Italian Referees Association (AIA) referee designator Gianluca Rocchi has indicated that a cooling-off period is necessary, with La Penna facing a potential one-month suspension from Serie A duties. The decision to send off Kalulu for a second yellow card—adjudged to be for a pull on Alessandro Bastoni—was labelled a "clearly wrong" error by Rocchi. He admitted the officiating team was "very sorry" for the incident, noting that VAR could not intervene due to current protocols.

The AIA chief further explained that the referee is "distraught" by the mistake, which was compounded by what he described as "clear simulation" from Bastoni. While some within the refereeing body considered a quick return to the pitch to help La Penna "overcome the shock," the sheer volume of hostility and the personal nature of the threats mean a period away from the limelight is now the most likely outcome. The suspension is intended to allow the official to regain his composure after a weekend of unprecedented vitriol.

The Bianconeri hierarchy did not hold back in their assessment of the officiating in the immediate aftermath of the loss at San Siro. Sports director Giorgio Chiellini was captured on camera alongside CEO Damien Comolli angrily confronting La Penna in the tunnel as the teams headed for the break. The tension remained high long after the final whistle, with Juventus officials suggesting that the integrity of the competition was being undermined by such high-profile mistakes.

Speaking to Sky Sport, Chiellini delivered a stinging critique of the current state of Italian "We cannot talk about football after what happened today. 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.

"I don't know if they’re not trained properly, not up to the task, whatever the reason for it, the fact is that referees are not up to the standard of Serie A football."

Juventus CEO Damien Comolli echoed these sentiments, framing the defeat not just as a sporting loss, but as a systemic failure. "We lost three points, but Italian football lost much more. What we saw on the pitch was a real injustice. We feel sorry for the fans, because tonight we were not able to compete on equal terms," he said.

The result has massive implications for the Serie A table, leaving Inter eight points clear at the summit while Juventus languish 15 points behind the leaders. Beyond the points, the Derby d'Italia debacle has reignited the debate over VAR's inability to review second yellow cards - a rule that IFAB is reportedly considering changing. For now, the focus remains on the safety of La Penna as the league moves to condemn the "shameless" threats that have overshadowed one of the biggest fixtures in the European football calendar.