Genoa Fury Over De Bruyne Goal and VAR Controversy Against Napoli
The new Serie A season is one matchday old and the controversy has already arrived.
At Marassi, Genoa’s 2-0 defeat to Napoli was swallowed up by a single flashpoint: Kevin De Bruyne’s opener and referee Marco Di Bello’s decision to let it stand.
The incident that lit the fuse
The game was goalless when the loose ball dropped in the Genoa box. Johan Vasquez stepped in front of De Bruyne, shaping to shield it and buy a foul. A nudge came from behind. Vasquez went down. De Bruyne did not hesitate.
From seven yards, the Belgian drilled the ball in, unchallenged.
Di Bello had a clear view. He even raised the whistle to his lips before lowering it again as he saw the chance developing. The goal stood on the pitch and, after a check, it stood in the booth as well. VAR did not send him to the monitor, judging there was no “clear and obvious” error.
Minutes later, the damage deepened. De Bruyne turned provider, threading the assist for Antonio Vergara to make it 2-0 and effectively end Genoa’s hopes.
Lopez: “All of Italy saw what happened”
Genoa’s anger did not cool after the final whistle. It sharpened.
“All of Italy saw what happened today,” Chief of Football Diego Lopez told Sky Sport Italia and DAZN Italia, his frustration barely disguised.
The club’s fury is not just about one decision. It is about the name on the teamsheet of officials.
“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,” Lopez said.
“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, DAZN’s programme that dissects the weekend’s major incidents, has already featured Di Bello in connection with Genoa. Twice, the club heard formal confirmation that key calls against them were wrong.
So when Vasquez hit the turf and the whistle stayed silent, the sense of déjà vu inside Stadio Luigi Ferraris was instant.
“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,” Lopez continued. “The referee saw it and decided not to blow his whistle, then the referee decided not to view it again.”
On the touchline and in the dressing room, Genoa staff tried to keep a lid on emotions.
“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.”
A familiar VAR fault line
This was not just a Genoa-Napoli argument. It immediately became a national talking point.
Across Italian television studios, pundits split along a now-familiar line. One camp saw a clear foul by De Bruyne on Vasquez. The other argued the defender had tried to engineer the contact, more interested in winning a free-kick than clearing the danger.
The refereeing body had warned before the season that VAR would step in only for clear and obvious mistakes. That phrase framed the entire debate.
On the field, Di Bello judged the contact acceptable. In the booth, the assistants saw no threshold breached. No on-field review. No overturned goal. Just a decision that will echo far longer than the 90 minutes in Genoa.
Matchday one, and Serie A already finds itself arguing over where “clear and obvious” really begins.
