Italian Olympic Committee chiefs have lodged a formal complaint after taking issue with the standard of refereeing after Filippo Macchi fell to defeat against Cheung Ka-long in the men's individual foil title clash in Paris .
Controversy surrounded the individual final in the French capital following a closely fought encounter as the man from Hong Kong earned a second gold in as many Games appearances. Cheung had battled back from 14-12 down to put himself back into contention, rallying to defeat Macchi 15-14.
However, the circumstances surrounding his victory left the Italian camp incensed as both sides appeared convinced they had won when the scores were locked at 14-14. A video review denied Macchi the victory and it was Cheung who eventually edged the bout in divisive circumstances instead.
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Speaking following the events in Paris, Macchi's coach Stefano Cerioni could not hide his anger as he took aim at the officials in a barbed message. Refusing to hold back after the agonizing loss in the final, he told OA Sport : "It hurts too much. They are robbing us of gold in rapid succession, without respect. And all with slow motion.
"A sporting greeting. In the two previous thrusts, Macchi had started early, but the judges abstained from a decision... In the last one there was a save and response and they didn't see it. Cerioni is protesting furiously with the referees. They don't let us win, friends, it's useless."
He did not stop there either, as he raised his concerns once more when speaking to Italian broadcaster Rai in the aftermath of the showpiece in Paris . He said: "I’ve never seen anything like this, neither as an athlete or coach. I would hope it is just incompetence, I would not want to suggest anything else.
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"The judges abstained, this is serious for the lad. Macchi is the moral winner. He won it three times, but found himself second. My heart breaks for him because we worked so hard. He deserved this win because he landed his thrusts. Silver is great medal, but gold is something else. Now we need to wait four years to try again."
He later confirmed that the Italian Olympic Committee has launched "a formal complaint" as he described the referees as a "disgrace". In a set of controversial comments, he continued: "The situation is clear. If you have referees which you draw, the first is from [South] Korea, the second from [Chinese] Taipei, you need to change them. You cannot do this, it is opportunism.
"Find me another sport in the world where you can have referees who come from regions close to one of the countries in action. I spoke with the secretary of the International Fencing Federation and said that this rule needs to change. We are very angry and sorry."
Macchi reflected on the loss, saying: "Fencing is a sport at the referee’s discretion. I was ahead 14-12 and was not able to close it out. I will watch the thrusts again. At the time, I felt I was right. I never felt I was robbed. Perhaps they were wrong, but do not think the referees would act in bad faith. I congratulated [Cheung] afterwards, he is a great competitor."
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