Former international referee Daniele Orsato, who recently received a career achievement award at the ADICOSP Football Gran Gala, spoke with journalists. He shared his views on the current state and challenges of refereeing.
When asked about the biggest difficulty for young referees today, Orsato highlighted the issue of violence: “I believe you are witnesses to what has been happening in recent months – this violence against referees, which is unacceptable. President Zappi is working on a project with the Ministry to intervene and stop this violence targeting young people. Young referees must feel free to officiate because it is a sport, a passion for them, just as football is a game for the players. This needs to remain the case; physical attacks on referees must stop. As a representative for active referees for several years, I often had to contact young officials who had been assaulted. I can assure you, then and now, this is what angers me the most in the world of refereeing. It bothers me far more than personal criticism I received for a missed penalty or a mistake I made.”
Addressing the difficulty of the Serie A designator role held by Rocchi, Orsato commented: “I believe that any job is difficult when it involves responsibility – being the referees` designator, being a team coach, any such role is challenging. Of course, if you approach it with passion, which is characteristic of us [referees], it becomes easier. For referees, it`s essential to have patience, especially now during a generational shift. We must also accept that errors are part of the game; mistakes happen and will always happen, even if the current situation feels more difficult.”
Reflecting on his own style of communicating with players, including top champions, and whether players now better understand the need to support referees, Orsato noted significant progress: “I believe the relationship between referees and players has improved tremendously in recent years. I see positive initiatives, like the one adopted in the Champions League a few years ago and continued at the last European Championship I worked at, where the team captain serves as a primary point of contact. It seems to me that in our league too, the instances of excessive protesting and aggression towards referees have significantly decreased. Therefore, I believe players` behavior has improved, and the responsibility of captains has increased. I think we are heading in the right direction, and I feel confident about it.”