Farioli on recent refereeing: “This is becoming unbearable” | OneFootball

João Pinheiro will be the main referee for FC Porto’s match in Alverca this Monday – after having officiated the game between Sporting and Santa Clara for the Portuguese Cup – and Francesco Farioli addressed, for the first time, the controversial refereeing that occurred in the Azores.

In a press conference, the Italian coach began by saying: “This is not about the referee’s performance or a specific incident. Honestly, I think mistakes are part of the game; players miss goals, coaches, myself included, make bad substitutions or choose the wrong players, it’s part of it,” calling for drastic and immediate consequences in Portugal.

“In this case, the referee’s mistakes are normal. The problem here is something else, something deeper, because in the end, when you have the feeling that the system is constantly failing, I think it needs to be addressed with the necessary focus, giving the necessary value to what is happening. To respect the level of this competition, justice, and to keep Portuguese football as one of the main references in world football,” he stated, also justifying FC Porto’s official statement.

“That’s why the club’s statement was very clear in every aspect, very calm, but there is a need to deal with this situation with a calm mind and also with courage, to make some decisions, because it’s becoming unsustainable. When I say the situation is unsustainable… the referees ask me to stay calm and help them lead the game, because I think it’s a shame to see so many stoppages, so many cards for the benches, in every league. So, that means it’s out of control and when I say it’s unsustainable… this is what I mean, that it’s not possible to waste more time with complaints than when the ball is actually rolling on the pitch,” he concluded, criticizing the way VAR is being used.

“It’s a good opportunity and a good moment to talk about how VAR has been used in football in general. VAR is something very positive to try to help referees correct some wrong or difficult decisions, because the speed of the game is increasing every season and it’s very hard to know everything that’s happening on the field. The feeling is that VAR is a tool to judge the referee’s performance. It went from something to help, to something where we’re either afraid of getting a warning or, if there is a warning… what’s happening when VAR goes to check, because everything is going to be judged. VAR was created to help, not to judge,” he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.