Former Referee: Lautaro’s Celebration Should Not Have Been Booked, Celebrations Are One of Football’s Most Beautiful Parts

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, former referee Calvarese believes Lautaro should not have been punished for his celebration after the 3-2 victory over Napoli.

The controversy over Lautaro Martinez’s possible red card continues. In the hours after the win over Napoli, fans and people within the football industry spoke out one after another, with some calling for the Inter captain to be sent off. Some believe he appeared to elbow Rafa Marin, while others focused more on the scene in which he climbed onto the barrier and performed his iconic celebration after scoring the 3-2 goal.

Regarding this, former referee Gianpaolo Calvarese explained in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I do not intend to go deeply into the details of the rules, nor do I want to examine exactly how ‘the barrier’ should be defined, because that would open up a very broad discussion. As a referee, I can only say that throughout history and in all stadiums, this type of celebration has generally been tolerated. And I believe that is the right approach, because celebration itself is an important part of a goal, and may even be one of the most beautiful parts of football.”

Calvarese added: “I have seen many situations like Lautaro’s. Based on my experience on the pitch, this kind of action has almost never been punished with a yellow card. More importantly, I do not see any factor here that endangered anyone’s safety, nor did he make any provocative or demonstrative gestures toward the fans. Therefore, I believe the referee’s decision not to show a second yellow card was correct.” In short, there is no reason to ruin a celebration moment that has now become an iconic image in Inter’s modern history.