Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by Hellas Verona in their latest Serie A clash, and head coach Igor Tudor didn’t hold back in criticizing the referee for what he saw as two highly questionable decisions.
The match, played on Saturday evening (September 20, 2025) at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, saw Juve take the lead through Francisco Conceição before Verona equalized via a penalty from Gift Orban.
The penalty was awarded after a handball by Joao Mario, with referee Antonio Rapuanu consulting VAR before confirming the call. Tudor, however, was far from convinced.
"That penalty was a joke. If a player can’t even see the ball, what is he supposed to do?" Tudor told Football Italia.
"Decisions like this just don’t make sense. Only someone who’s never played football could give that. It’s a ridiculous interpretation of the rules."
Tudor was also frustrated by the referee’s decision not to send off Gift Orban after an apparent elbow on Juve defender Federico Gatti.
"There should’ve been a red card for the foul on Gatti. I was right there I saw it clearly," he said.
"I mean, if that’s not a red card, then I honestly don’t know what is. He didn’t even look at the ball. If that doesn’t warrant a sending-off, it’s honestly embarrassing."
"It’s a disgrace. With VAR in place, for these two decisions to go that way it’s not about making excuses, but these moments decide matches," Tudor added.
The draw ended Juventus’ perfect start to the Serie A season, though they remain top of the table with 10 points from four matches.
