Adrien Rabiot took his anger at Italian refereeing to Instagram on Sunday evening.

“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.”

The France international posted the words under a former Serie A referee’s defence of the Marassi match’s most argued moment, as reported by football-italia.

The 50th-minute foul

With Milan 2-0 up at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Rabiot broke forward and was cut down near the touchline by Genoa defender Alessandro Marcandalli. Milan’s bench demanded a straight red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

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Referee Davide Massa produced only a yellow. VAR did not intervene, and Rabiot was himself booked for protesting the call. Members of Milan’s coaching staff were sent out of the technical area as the dispute spilled over.

Calvarese’s defence triggered the post

Gianpaolo Calvarese, a former Serie A referee who now analyses decisions online, backed Massa on Instagram. He argued the four DOGSO criteria were not all met, pointing to possession of the ball, the overall direction of the action, the number of defenders, and the distance from goal. The foul took place around 60 metres from Milan’s target, he said.

Calvarese added that VAR would not have overturned the decision even if Massa had reached for red, calling the on-pitch judgment defensible under a strict reading of the rules. That was the Instagram post Rabiot replied beneath.

Milan up to 24 points

The result lifted a side that had been hit by a Europa League defeat in midweek. Alphadjo Cisse struck in the 12th minute, slipped through by a Rabiot pass. Christian Pulisic made it 2-0 seven minutes later. They were Milan’s only two shots on target of the match.

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Mikael Ellertsson pulled one back for Genoa in the 88th minute, and the visitors had to defend deep into added time. Milan climb to 24 points and leave Genoa on 13, according to ESPN’s match report.

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