GENOA, ITALY – Diego Lopez, the director of Genoa, voiced his disappointment over the officiating in their 2-0 loss to Napoli. He stated that “all of Italy saw what happened today” regarding a controversial goal scored by Kevin De Bruyne.

The match remained scoreless at Marassi until Johan Vasquez attempted to block De Bruyne from reaching a loose ball. After being nudged from behind, Vasquez fell, which allowed the Belgian player to take a shot unimpeded from seven yards.

Referee Marco Di Bello appeared to consider calling the foul but ultimately opted against it, allowing the goal to stand.

VAR examined the incident but decided not to suggest an On-Field Review, ruling it was not a clear and obvious error.

De Bruyne’s performance didn’t stop there, as he later assisted Antonio Vergara, who scored Napoli’s second goal, sealing the match at 2-0 in favor of the visitors.

Genoa Rage at Referee Di Bello

GENOA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

“All of Italy saw what happened today,” Lopez shared in discussions with Sky Sport Italia and DAZN Italia. “This referee was also involved in the VAR booth last season’s game against Napoli, which made us apprehensive when we learned he would officiate this match.

He recounted that during last season’s game, it was 2-2 until the last minute when Napoli was awarded a penalty. Lopez also recalled a prior match officiated by Di Bello, where their goalkeeper was hit in the face during a goal, with referees later acknowledging those decisions as mistakes.

Open VAR, the program by DAZN where officials evaluate past match decisions, had recognized those errors.

GENOA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Leo Ostigard of Genoa controls the ball under pressure from Rasmus Hojlund of Napoli during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Lopez added, “Fortunately, there are cameras to verify that there was a clear push on Vasquez that led to the opportunity for Napoli’s goal. The referee saw it yet chose not to call foul, and he also decided against reviewing the incident.”

The team worked to calm their players, who were aware of previous recognized errors made by this referee. Lopez acknowledged that officiating mistakes are part of the game but emphasized that “all of Italy saw what happened today.”

As the Serie A season kicked off, the implications of refereeing decisions have already sparked discussions, despite officials emphasizing that VAR would only intervene in clear and obvious cases. This incident has led to significant debate in various television studios, with some analysts contending that De Bruyne committed a foul on Vasquez, while others argued that the defender was attempting to draw contact and not actively trying to defend.

Ultimately, the decision remained with the on-field referee, who deemed the situation did not constitute a clear and obvious error.

Genoa director Diego Lopez claims they expected refereeing controversy in their 2-0 defeat to Napoli. ‘All of Italy saw what happened today’ in the controversial Kevin De Bruyne goal.

The game was still 0-0 at Marassi when Johan Vasquez stood in front of De Bruyne to shield the loose ball, but the defender went down when nudged from behind, allowing the Belgian to fire in undisturbed from seven yards.

Advertisement

Referee Marco Di Bello had a good view of the incident, put the whistle to his lips, and then took it out again when he saw the move was leading to a goal.

It was evaluated by VAR, who decided not to recommend an On-Field Review, as it was not considered to be a clear and obvious error.

Soon after, De Bruyne set up Antonio Vergara to score the second goal, as Napoli ran out 2-0 winners over Genoa.

Genoa rage at referee Di Bello

GENOA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Advertisement

“All of Italy saw what happened today,” Chief of Football Lopez told Sky Sport Italia and DAZN Italia.

“This referee was also in the VAR booth last season in the game against Napoli, so naturally when we heard he had been assigned to this match, we were worried.

“Last season it was 2-2 until the last minute and Napoli were awarded a penalty. He was also in Roma-Genoa, where our goalkeeper was hit in the face during a goal. Both times, the referees later acknowledged these were errors in Open VAR.”

Open VAR is the DAZN programme where the representatives of the referees’ association evaluate and explain the decisions made in the most recent Serie A matches, acknowledging when there were mistakes.

GENOA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Leo Ostigard of Genoa controls the ball under pressure from Rasmus Hojlund of Napoli during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Advertisement

“Fortunately, there are cameras, so all of Italy saw that there was a clear push on Vasquez to create the opportunity for Napoli to score. The referee saw it and decided not to blow his whistle, then the referee decided not to view it again.

“We tried to calm the players, because they knew Genoa had already suffered two recognised errors at the hands of this referee. We know that officials are human and can make mistakes, but all of Italy saw what happened today.”

In the opening day of the Serie A season, there are already clashes over the refereeing, even though the officials had warned they wanted VAR to intervene only for clear and obvious errors.

The incident was hotly debated in the various television studios too, with some feeling De Bruyne had fouled Vasquez, others insisting the defender had tried to draw the contact and was not actively attempting to clear the ball.

It was ultimately evaluated on the field by the referee, and did not meet the criteria for clear and obvious error.