Campania's Odg (Italian General Assembly): Commentator who insulted referee during Eccellenza match in Agropoli has been banned.

The affair that outraged the world of football and media in March 2025 has reached its most severe conclusion. The Campania Association of Journalists has ordered the disbarment of commentator Sergio Vessicchio from the register of journalists following sexist remarks directed at referee Annalisa Moccia during his commentary for the Agropoli-Sant'Agnello match, a Serie A match.

Those words, spread quickly on social media, provoked an immediate reaction. "It's disgusting, unpresentable for a football pitch. It's disgusting to see women refereeing in a league where clubs spend hundreds of thousands of euros. It's a joke for the Federation to do something like this.", Vessicchio had declared live, bluntly attacking the assistant referee appointed by the Campania CRA.

His statements had been condemned by the Italian Referees Association, with president Marcello Nicchi saying he was “Dismayed by the unspeakable and discriminatory expressions used by journalist Sergio Vessicchio towards our member Annalisa Moccia, simply because she is a woman.” The Aia, after expressing solidarity with the referee and all her colleagues, had reported the case to the Department of Equal Opportunities of the Presidency of the Council and to the police, instructing its lawyers to proceed to protect the category.

The Campania Regional Council had initially suspended Vessicchio, partly in light of his previous controversial conduct. That suspension led to disciplinary proceedings for repeat offenders, which have now culminated in his dismissal. This decision closes a bitter chapter and revitalizes the issue of respect in the world of sports and the media professions.