Genoa's Fury Over De Bruyne Goal and VAR Controversy Against Napoli

The new Serie A season is one matchday old, and the refereeing rows have already exploded.

At Marassi, Genoa’s 2-0 defeat to Napoli was overshadowed by a single flashpoint: Kevin De Bruyne’s opener, scored with Johan Vasquez on the turf and the home side screaming for a foul.

“All of Italy saw what happened today,” Genoa chief of football Diego Lopez snapped on television afterwards. He wasn’t finished.

The incident that changed everything

The game was goalless when the loose ball dropped inside the Genoa box. Vasquez stepped in front of De Bruyne, using his body to shield it. A nudge came from behind, the defender went down, and in a heartbeat the Belgian was alone.

From seven yards, De Bruyne drilled the ball in. The Stadio Luigi Ferraris erupted — half in celebration, half in fury.

Referee Marco Di Bello had a clear view. He even raised the whistle to his lips, then lowered it as he realised the move was about to end in a goal. No foul given on the pitch.

All eyes went to VAR. After a check, there was no recommendation for an On-Field Review. The officials judged it did not reach the threshold of a “clear and obvious error”. The goal stood.

Napoli, ruthless once in front, tightened their grip. De Bruyne later slipped in Antonio Vergara, who finished clinically for the second, sealing a 2-0 away win and leaving Genoa with nothing but anger and a sense of déjà vu.

Lopez: “We were worried as soon as we saw the referee”

Lopez’s frustration had roots. This was not, in Genoa’s eyes, an isolated story.

“This referee was also in the VAR booth last season in the game against Napoli, so naturally when we heard he had been assigned to this match, we were worried,” Lopez told Sky Sport Italia and DAZN Italia.

“Last season it was 2-2 until the last minute and Napoli were awarded a penalty. He was also in Roma-Genoa, where our goalkeeper was hit in the face during a goal. Both times, the referees later acknowledged these were errors in Open VAR.”

Open VAR, DAZN’s programme dissecting the previous round of Serie A fixtures, has become a weekly confessional for officials, where the referees’ association publicly explains decisions and admits mistakes.

For Genoa, that context mattered. It framed how they saw what unfolded with Vasquez and De Bruyne.

“Fortunately, there are cameras, so all of Italy saw that there was a clear push on Vasquez to create the opportunity for Napoli to score,” Lopez continued. “The referee saw it and decided not to blow his whistle, then the referee decided not to view it again.

“We tried to calm the players, because they knew Genoa had already suffered two recognised errors at the hands of this referee. We know that officials are human and can make mistakes, but all of Italy saw what happened today.”

VAR philosophy under fire on opening weekend

Serie A’s referees had signalled before the season that VAR would step back, intervening only for clear and obvious errors. One round in, that philosophy is already under fierce scrutiny.

The De Bruyne incident lit up television studios across Italy. Analysts pored over replays. Some argued the Napoli star clearly pushed Vasquez to gain the space to score. Others insisted the defender tried to manufacture contact, focusing more on drawing a foul than on clearing the ball.

On the pitch, Di Bello made his call. In the booth, VAR backed him, deciding the contact and fall did not justify overturning the goal.

The law says “clear and obvious”. Genoa say “clear push”. The officials say “no error”.

On a raw opening night at Marassi, the gap between those interpretations felt as wide as the scoreline. And with a full season ahead, Serie A already knows this debate is not going away.