Republican News: The Italian Football Association hopes to regain the management rights of elite referees and establish a new referee management agency

According to the Italian media "Republican", the Italian Football Association hopes to regain the management rights of elite referees and establish a new referee management agency.

On the Italian Football Association's desktop, there is a reform plan on the referee system, with the goal of retrieving the management rights of Serie A and Serie B referees from the Italian Judgment Association (AIA) and establishing an independent structure to keep them away from the influence of local branches of the Judgment Association. The selection system of referees is completely controlled by the referee association, and is nominally based on ability, but in fact it is often affected by the relationship between the senior leaders of the association and local branches. The risk is that it may not always be the best referees who stand out, but representatives from some important local branches have received preferential treatment. To this end, the Italian Football Association hopes to revoke the power of the referees to select elite referees and establish an independent agency to manage top referees.

The first round of consultations has begun, and as expected, the referees' association responded strongly. The Serie A has not directly objected: they have already gained concessions in RefCam (referee camera) and arena announcements, and in exchange, there may be some compromises to promote reforms.

The new organization may be led by a three-party board of directors, including a representative from the Italian Football Association, Serie A and Serie B, to jointly select the referee supervisor and his technical team. The cost will be relevant (preparing staff, doctors, game analysts, psychologists), but the funds will be coordinated by the Italian Football Association and will not be paid directly by the league. There are different opinions on this within the referee community, but many people have a positive attitude towards the new institutional framework.

source:7 mcn