Serie A’s new refereeing direction was placed before the clubs at the first meeting between officials and the league’s technical representatives, with the emphasis on consistency, clearer decisions and a game allowed to flow for longer.
A meeting between referees and clubs
- Refereeing chief Orsato and technical director Messina attended the session alongside a broad group of Serie A coaches and staff.
- The club representatives included Gennaro Gattuso, Ignazio Abate, Raffaele Palladino, Daniele De Rossi, Marco Landucci on behalf of Massimiliano Allegri, Giampiero Pinzi for Eusebio Di Francesco, Fabio Pisacane, Cuesta, Cristian Chivu, Alberto Aquilani, Luciano Spalletti, Ivan Juric, Amorim and Cesc Fabregas.
- League president Ezio Simonelli opened proceedings by welcoming the new refereeing approach, while also accepting that some elements still require adjustment.
Simonelli calls for clarity and uniformity
Simonelli described the gathering as an opportunity for dialogue between the clubs and the refereeing structure, with the shared objective of making decisions more uniform and easier to understand.
“This is a meeting to exchange views and information, because everyone knows the aim is to find consistency and clarity,” Simonelli said.
The league president said a new system inevitably needs time before it is fully settled. He recognised that the opening weeks had revealed areas of concern, with the limited number of VAR interventions — one in 50 matches — among the issues still open for discussion.
Yet Simonelli also pointed to the effects seen across the first five rounds. There had been no goalless draws, while the amount of effective playing time had increased, two developments he considered positive for the competition as a sporting spectacle.
“Like every new thing, it needs time,” he said. “There are critical points, and we have seen them. But no 0-0 draws after five matchdays and more playing time are certainly good for the spectacle. We have to improve in some areas. Forwards miss goals too, after all. I like this new direction, but a few things must be refined.”
Spalletti’s brief approval
Luciano Spalletti arrived swiftly as the discussion was under way and was asked for his view of the new refereeing line. His response was short and supportive: “Yes, I like it.”
The meeting marked an early point of contact between Serie A’s clubs and its refereeing leadership, with the season’s first lessons already being examined rather than left to accumulate through Sunday afternoons.
