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Emanuele Tramacere

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Gravina: "The atmosphere surrounding the referees is unbearable. Open VAR? Transparency is being exploited – this is not the way forward"

Serie A

The issue of refereeing is inevitably the most hotly debated topic in Serie A at the moment. Mistake after mistake is affecting the league and the ambitions of the 20 teams involved to such an extent that the Serie A League and the refereeing body have agreed to hold an open discussion in the coming days. 

However, it was the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) that spoke out today in defence of the refereeing community. Through its president, Gabriele Gravina, the FIGC highlighted the climate – bordering on terror – in which these officials are called upon to operate. 

Speaking on the sidelines of the Bearzot Award press conference, the FIGC’s head even suggested scrapping the OpenVar format broadcast on DAZN, which features audio from the VAR room and commentary on mistakes made on the pitch.

Here are his words.

  • "THE ERROR CANNOT BE RESET"

    "If we think that refereeing errors can be completely eliminated in every match, I can tell you today that that will never be possible. We’re working towards the best possible outcome. If there are two such incidents in twenty matches, that’s to be expected, compared to the ten we saw a few years ago."
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  • "UNBEARABLE CLIMATE"

    "I believe we need to take a fresh look at our behaviour. A certain atmosphere has developed today, and we recognise that; there is an unbearable atmosphere surrounding the management of this delicate phase of the Italian league. We need to regain our composure, with each of us making a small contribution."

  • OPEN VAR CANCELLED?

    "As regards Open VAR, we will be giving the matter some thought: our commitment to maximum transparency has clearly been exploited, so we will need to discuss this with the AIA ahead of next year. The aim is always to engage in dialogue, but above all to avoid any form of exploitation for negative purposes. 

    We have a relationship of close cooperation with the IFAB and we are consulting with them because we wish to create the ideal conditions to put referees in the best possible position to perform their duties to the highest standard."

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