Italian referee chief suspends himself over ‘sporting fraud’ allegations

• Gianluca Rocchi accused of pressing Serie A officials

• VAR chief also under investigation for same charge

The head of referees for Serie A and Serie B has temporarily stepped aside after being placed under investigation by prosecutors in Milan for “sporting fraud”.

Gianluca Rocchi said on Saturday that he has decided to “suspend himself” from his role as the man who assigns referees to matches in Italy’s top two divisions.