Marcus Thuram’s late winning goal against Fiorentina gave Inter a decisive finish, but the French forward left the pitch with a broader complaint about how referees read his challenges inside the penalty area. After beating David de Gea with a precise left-footed finish, Thuram said he feels officials now view him as a player inclined to go down too easily.
Thuram questions the referee’s decision
The disputed episode came before his goal, when Thuram went down following contact with Viery. Referee Maurizio Mariani appeared ready to stop play, bringing the whistle to his mouth, but then allowed the game to continue. Thuram believed the incident should have resulted in a penalty.
Speaking after the match, he linked the decision to an earlier booking for simulation.
- “It is strange,” Thuram said. “The referee may have thought I was diving because I received a yellow card in Bologna.”
- He added that, after reviewing the images from that previous match, the official had accepted that the decision should have been a penalty.
- “The same thing happened today,” the Inter striker said.
The Bologna incident behind his frustration
Thuram’s reference was to Inter’s 3-1 comeback victory at Bologna’s Dall’Ara. In the 61st minute, he was booked for simulation after an incident involving Darmian, with the contact judged to have been sought by the forward.
The sanction did not end with the yellow card. Thuram was also fined €2,000 for simulating a foul.
Audio from referee Daniele Doveri’s Haier Cam captured the exchange between the pair. Doveri told Thuram there was “nothing,” while the forward repeatedly insisted: “I swear, I swear.”
Former referee Giuseppe Calvarese took a different view of the Bologna decision. He felt a penalty should not have been awarded because Darmian’s contact was insufficient, but argued that the booking was also incorrect because there had been a touch and therefore no clear simulation.
A second booking, and a different judgement
There was another recent precedent in Inter’s match against Lecce on 14 January 2026. Thuram was shown a yellow card in the 14th minute after falling in the box following contact with Pierotti.
Referee Fabio Maresca deemed that episode a dive. Esposito later settled the match in the second half, and Thuram had little basis to contest that booking.
- Against Lecce, the simulation caution was justified.
- In Bologna, the decision was more open to debate: no penalty, but also no obvious dive.
- Against Fiorentina, Thuram believed he had been denied a genuine spot-kick because of the reputation built by those earlier episodes.
His goal against Fiorentina ensured that Inter still found their winning moment. Yet Thuram’s post-match words suggested that, for him, the more significant issue was the line between a striker trying to win a penalty and one already being judged before the contact is properly examined.
