Troubled Italian referees may give up fair-play handshakes

 La Gazzetta dello Sport Tuesday wrote that game officials were considering heading straight for the changing rooms rather than wait for the ceremony to take place in midfield.

 Although adopted for just two weekends, the fair-play handshakes have often been an occasion for players to criticise the officials for alleged wrong calls during the game.

 Referee Gianluca Rocchi had a rough time on the weekend in Naples, where both Napoli and Lazio players surrounded him after a hard-fought 2-2 draw.

 And tension was high also in Milan after Serie A leaders Inter Milan came from behind in the dying minutes to clinch a 3-2 win over visiting Parma.

 Criticism against alleged poor officiating has been frequent as the Italian football federation (FIGC) is gradually introducing new game officials after the match-rigging scandal that in 2006 involved several veteran referees.

 The new ones, who are being trained and designated by former star referee Gianluigi Collina, have never been suspected of match-rigging, but, to some observers, appear to be suffering from what has been labelled "psychological subjection" toward big clubs.

 As Inter are being indicated as benefiting from the alleged syndrome, World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi denied that the title holders were being helped by officials.

 Recalling the decade when he won five title with Juventus, Lippi said: "I've been through it myself ... When you always win and you are by far the strongest it happens that an unlucky episode triggers speeches like 'they are being helped.'"

   Others, however, look at the statistics and note that Inter had seven penalties awarded and only one against, while La Gazzetta counted nine cases, in the 19 games played so far, where Inter appear to have been favoured by controversial calls.

DPA