It has been revealed that referee Marco Guida won’t be punished for his face-off with Milan’s Alexis Saelemaekers in the game with Roma.

Although Italian social media has been going wild about it for several days, it is believed that AIA won’t penalise the official. So, what happened?

Well, during the eventual 1-0 Milan win against the Giallorossi, a major flashpoint arose as Mike Maignan saved Paulo Dybala’s penalty. Saelemaekers celebrated openly in the direction of referee Guida, the man who gave the spot kick.

Guida didn’t book him but took a few steps in his direction and pointed to the corner. A face-off ensued: Saelemaekers, celebrating with clenched fists and head down, and Guida looking down at him.

This was far closer than players and officials typically get. So much so that Saelemaekers, raising his head, came close to hitting Guida. At this point, the referee reached out his right foot and kicked the Belgian in the right leg.

Fortunately for the boisterous referee, the Italian Referees Association has no intention of taking action. There will be no consequences for what happened during the Milan-Roma match, although key figures have condemned the actions on display.

Graziano Cesari, a former international and Mediaset referee, commented to the press: “Guida kicks Saelemaekers. It’s an attitude, a behaviour not typical of an international referee. It’s a loud celebration; the referee doesn’t walk away, but approaches the player, as if it were a provocation. A deliberate gesture? I see deliberate intent, of course.”