Rabiot fury at refereeing decision: ' Lying won't help, Italian football pays the consequences'

Adrien Rabiot has raged against refereeing decisions after Milan's 2-1 victory away to Genoa. 'Mistakes happen, but lying continually won't help you progress.

' The Rossoneri emerged 2-1 from the Stadio Luigi Ferraris this afternoon, thanks to the early goals from Alphadjo Cisse and Christian Pulisic. However, they were far from happy at the final whistle, because Rabiot was booked for dissent and some of Ruben Amorim's coaching staff red carded off the bench following an incident at the 50thminute.

Why Rabiot was furious with referees ITALY - NOVEMBER 8: Adrien Rabiot of Milan looks on during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and AC Milan at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on November 8, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. However, Marcandalli was only shown the yellow card, with the same punishment going to Rabiot for his protests.

It was evaluated by VAR and confirmed, but then former referee Gianpaolo Calvarese lit the fuse again with his Instagram explaining why he felt this was the correct decision. ITALY - NOVEMBER 8: Luka Modric of Milan (right) talks to referee Davide Massa during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and AC Milan at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on November 8, 2026 in Genoa, Italy.

"They are having possession of the ball, the general direction of the move, the number of defenders in the vicinity, and the distance from the goal. In this case, considering the foul took place towards the touchline and circa 60 metres from goal, I consider Davide Massa's decision to show only a yellow card to be sustainable.

At the same time, had Massa decided to show the red card, VAR would not have been able to intervene, so it remains a decision made on the pitch at the referee's discretion." This was a similar explanation to the one given by DAZN Italian's refereeing expert, Luca Marelli, because the contact was inside the Milan half. However, it did little to satisfy Rabiot, who replied with an ominous warning as a comment on the Instagram post.

"In life just as in football, you can make mistakes, but you should at least be able to admit them. Lying continually won't help you progress.

And it is Italian football that will pay the consequences."