Serie A referee reportedly suspended for 'refusing to shake a female referee'

A referee in Serie A Luca Sacchi is said to have been suspended for refusing to shake the hands of a female referee.  

Sacchi was the centre referee in the 1-1 draw at the Stadio Comunale Via del Mare between  Lecce and Sassuolo and has been implicated in accusations of sexism. 

Before both teams strutted out onto the pitch, clips showed the Italian referee declining to shake the hands of a female assistant Francesca Di Monte. 

He was filmed rejecting the handshake before going on to shake hands with Lecce captain Gabriel Strefezza.  

When the clip went viral, Sacchi was accused of sexism, but the Italian Referees Association (AIA) initially put out a statement denouncing the notion, claiming it was an innocent oversight. 

 "We can absolutely exclude that this was a sexist gesture or a personal snub,” The statement said.

“As far as we are concerned, it is not a problem, it was only an involuntary gesture that was misinterpreted. The two colleagues worked well during the match and their performance was excellent."

"What is truly surprising is that there is talk of sexism in an association that has made the knocking down of gender barriers one of its greatest achievements." 

However, according to a report by the Daily Star, he has now been rebuked by the referee designator Gianluca Rocchi and received a one-match ban.