Ranieri Explodes After Controversial VAR Call Dents Roma's Champions League Dreams
In a match that might haunt Roma fans for weeks to come, Claudio Ranieri couldn't hide his fury after a crucial VAR decision went against his team during their 2-1 loss to Atalanta on May 12th, 2025. The defeat not only snapped Roma's impressive 19-match unbeaten run but potentially derailed their Champions League ambitions while Atalanta celebrated securing their own spot in Europe's elite competition.
"How Can You Say No?" - Ranieri's VAR Meltdown
You could almost feel the temperature rising in Bergamo when referee Marco Guida pointed to the spot after Atalanta's Mario Pasalic challenged Roma midfielder Manu Koné in the box. Then came the dreaded signal - the VAR review. Minutes later, decision reversed, penalty canceled, and Ranieri was absolutely livid.
"How can you say no? We are literally looking at it!" Ranieri fumed during his post-match interview with DAZN. The normally composed 73-year-old couldn't contain his frustration. "There was contact. Clear contact! I don't care if Koné also ran into Pasalic - that's not the point. The rules need to be clear. If there's contact, it's a penalty... or is it? Nobody seems to know anymore!"
The timing couldn't have been worse for Roma. Ademola Lookman and Ibrahim Sulemana had scored for Atalanta, with Bryan Cristante briefly bringing the visitors level. That overturned penalty might have changed everything.
- The decision came at a critical point with the score at 1-1
- Roma fans on social media were quick to point out similar penalties given elsewhere
- It was the first key VAR decision to go against Roma during their 19-game unbeaten streak
What makes the defeat even more painful for Roma supporters is how tantalizingly close they remain to the Champions League spots. They're sitting sixth, just one point behind both Juventus and Lazio. "Fourth place might be difficult now," Ranieri admitted, looking visibly drained. "But we'll fight until the end - that's a promise. And fair play to Atalanta, they've earned their Champions League place."
What Next for Roma and Ranieri?
The elephant in the room is Ranieri's future. His contract expires this summer, and the rumor mill is churning at full speed. Could Atalanta's miracle-worker Gian Piero Gasperini be tempted to switch allegiances? Or might former midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas make the leap from Como to the capital? Nothing's certain, except that whoever takes the Roma hot seat will inherit both sky-high expectations and a team that's shown real promise.
This isn't Ranieri's first rodeo with controversy or pressure, of course. The man who guided Leicester City to perhaps the most improbable Premier League title in history knows all about defying odds. That's why his reaction to Sunday's defeat carries so much weight - when someone who's seen it all gets this upset, you know something significant has happened.
Two Matches to Salvage a Season
Can Roma still pull off their own miracle? Their remaining fixtures against AC Milan and Torino will determine whether this VAR controversy becomes a footnote or the defining moment of their season. For a club with Roma's storied history, finishing outside the Champions League places would feel like failure - especially after coming so close.
The Atalanta match perfectly captures football's cruel nature - how split-second decisions and millimeters can separate glory from despair. As one long-time Roma fan told me outside the Stadio Olimpico the day after the match: "VAR was supposed to make things clearer, not more confusing. What's the point if decisions still feel so random?"
Whatever happens in their final two matches, Ranieri's passion on Sunday reminded everyone what makes football so captivating. In an era of carefully managed press conferences and media training, seeing such raw emotion - the unfiltered frustration of a manager who still cares deeply after decades in the game - was strangely refreshing, even as Roma's Champions League dreams hang by a thread.
Reference: https://www.chiesaditotti.com/2025/5/13/24428782/ranieri-on-controversial-penalty-decision-var-should-not-have-intervened
