The recent Serie A match between Inter Milan and Juventus has further ignited the competition between the Italian football giants, and the referee incident will have an impact on some of the people involved.
Pierre Kalulu’s sending off in the recent Italian derby between Inter Milan and Juventus sparked widespread reaction from coaches, directors, fans and the media.
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The Frenchman received a second yellow card for a foul on Alessandro Bastoni, but the Inter defender appeared to fall too easily, leading to the Juventus defender being sent off.
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 14: Juventus player Pierre Kalulu walks away after being sent off for a second yellow card foul by referee Federico Lapena (not pictured) during the Serie A match between Inter Milan and Juventus at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on February 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzani/Getty Images)
Despite failing to beat Juventus, Milan or Napoli in their previous 14 Serie A games, the Nerazzurri are the favorites heading into this game. If Italian football is not your thing, you can still enjoy football-themed slots at uudet kasinot. They have no expiration date and can be used anytime, anywhere.
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Kalulu’s red card prompted an angry reaction from Juventus directors Giorgio Chiellini and Damian Comolli, who confronted referee Federico Lapena in the tunnel. Their actions resulted in Comolli being banned and fined as the referee mentioned the incident in the match report.
Lapena will also be suspended for at least a month as referee appointee Gianluca Rocchi confirmed the decision to give Kalulu his marching orders was wrong.
Bastoni, on the other hand, is not expected to be punished retroactively for his diving as TV footage cannot be used for the incident leading to the second yellow card, but only for a direct red card.
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 14: Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni hits the post during the Serie A match between Inter Milan and Juventus at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on February 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzani/Getty Images)
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Inter Milan president Beppe Marotta admitted Bastoni made a mistake but reiterated that the Italian centre-back had been subject to exaggerated media coverage.
“Last season we lost the Serie A title by one point and Inter made mistakes against Roma but we didn’t protest,” Marotta said on Monday.
“Inter have only intervened once this season, after a penalty was awarded to Napoli against Inter which was later deemed unfair.
PISA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 30: Inter Milan’s Giuseppe Marotta watches the Serie A match between Pisa SC and Inter Milan at the Arena Garibaldi on November 30, 2025 in Pisa, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
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“If we talk about simulations, I want to remember the Juventus vs. Inter Milan match in 2021, where a penalty was awarded despite Cuadrado having a clear simulation with Calvarese as referee.
“Subsequently, both the referee and the technical body confirmed that this was an obvious simulation, and with this victory, Juventus qualified for the Champions League, worth 60-70 million euros.”
Some fans and journalists in Italy have called for Bastoni to be removed from the Italian national team, mainly because of how he celebrated Kalulu’s red card, but several sources in Italy say Gattuso will continue to rely on the Nerazzurri star, especially in the upcoming World Cup play-offs.