The Inter-Napoli Penalty That Sparked a Storm: Conte's Fury, Referee's Call, and a Var Moment

Referee expert weighs in on the Mkhitaryan-Rahmani moment

Luca Marioli, a former referee and current on-air analysis expert for DAZN Italy, weighed in on the Inter vs Napoli penalty from Sunday’s Serie A fixture, the 20th round.

According to Marioli, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was touched by Amir Rahmani as the Napoli defender arrived late, but VAR review confirmed contact and the referee signaled a spot-kick that stood after the check.

Amir Rahmani, Napoli's defender, fouled Henrikh Mkhitaryan, tripping him; play continued and Alessandro Bastoni's shot went over the bar.

Doveri halted the match and, via VAR, confirmed there was contact, awarding a correct penalty to Inter.

Conte reacted furiously, kicking a water bottle and directing strong language at the fourth official, which earned him a straight red card.

“Mkhitaryan touched the ball, while Rahmani arrived late. We've seen a similar incident in the Milan Derby, and this is a correct penalty,” Marioli told Tuttomercato Italy.

Conte's claim that the decision was wrong was met with heated words toward the referee: “Shame on you... you should be ashamed of yourself.”

Inter's draw lifted their tally to 43 points, keeping them top of Serie A, three points ahead of Milan and four ahead of Napoli.

Punchline: In football, penalties are like emails—sometimes you want to ignore them, but they always arrive with a signature from VAR.

Punchline 2: Conte’s mood is like a stadium kettle—boiling every time the whistle blows; luckily for us, hot takes don’t require a permit to travel.