Italian referee ‘set for suspension for a round of Serie A games’ after failing to shake hands with his assistant ahead of 1-1 draw between Lecce and Sassuolo

An Italian referee has been banned from a round of Serie A matches for failing to shake his assistant’s hand before kick-off.

Sassuolo traveled to Lecce on Friday evening in their Serie A clash, with Alessio Dionisi’s side looking to improve after a slightly disappointing start to the 2023-24 campaign.

Star striker Domenico Berardi put the Neroverdi ahead after just 22 minutes with a well-distributed penalty for his fifth goal in six appearances, but Lecce sorted it out after the break through Nikola Krstovic to secure a draw 1-1 at home.

Yet even before the match kicked off, there was a controversial moment in the tunnel, when Juan Luca Sacchi failed to respect the traditional pre-match handshakes with his assistant Frencesca Di Monte.

Before the match kicked off, Di Monte was positioned at the head of the Lecce players waiting to enter the field.

Juan Luca Sacchi (left) and Francesca Di Monte (middle) supervised the match between Lecce and Sassuolo

Sacchi appeared to deliberately not shake his assistant’s hand before kick-off.

However, the assistant was snubbed, before Sacchi shook hands with Lecce captain Gabriel Strefezza.

Referee Sacchi then walked up the tunnel through both groups of players, while Di Monte shook hands with his fellow assistant on the other side of the tunnel.

Sacchi then notices Di Monte and appears to offer her a hand, but moves it before her assistant notices, leaving her dangling in front of both groups of players.

Home team skipper Gabriel Strefezza could be seen smirking as he saw the offense to Di Monte in front of him.

Di Monte then apparently shook his head and smiled in disbelief, before heading down the tunnel with the rest of the group gathered for the match’s kick-off.

According to reports in Italy, the referee was not only handed a one-match suspension from Serie A, but also given a verbal reprimand by the designated referee, Gianluca Rocchi, regarding the embarrassment his actions caused.

It was the third Serie A clash Di Monte has featured in this campaign, having officiated in Empoli’s 1-0 win over Salernitana and Cagliari’s 0-0 draw with Udinese in September.

Sacchi now risks not being able to referee in the next round of Serie A after snubbing his assistant

Domenico Berardi gave Sassuolo the lead on the road after 22 minutes from the penalty spot

Nikola Krstovic then equalized from close range for the hosts from a corner in the second half.