Referees, Serie A and FIGC: tougher stance, no more soft penalties | OneFootball

A summit in Rome has reshaped refereeing management in Serie A after weeks of tension over on-field decisions. The meeting, promoted by the FIGC, saw the participation of the AIA, Lega Serie A, and the referee selector Gianluca Rocchi, with the aim of reviewing the contested incidents and defining new guidelines for the future.

Meeting between referees, Serie A, and FIGC: stricter line and an end to soft penalties

FIGC, clubs, and refereeing leadership together

The meeting, strongly desired by the federation president Gabriele Gravina, was attended by representatives of the main Serie A clubs:

Giuseppe Marotta (Inter)

Claudio Lotito (Lazio)

Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

Igli Tare (Milan)

Umberto Marino (Atalanta)

Frederic Massara (Roma)

Alongside them, AIA president Antonio Zappi and selector Rocchi presented the figures and guidelines to improve match management.

New directives: end to soft penalties and more authority on the field

The shared goal is to reduce penalties awarded for minimal contact and restore the centrality of the referee. Among the main decisions of the summit:

End to soft penalties: referees will have to assess contacts in the area more strictly, avoiding penalties for doubtful or minimal interventions.

Role of VAR: VAR will intervene only in the case of a clear error, leaving the referee full responsibility for decisions on the field.

Consistency in judgment: greater coherence between the decisions of the referee and the VAR room, reducing differences between similar matches.

A case cited as an example is the penalty awarded to Napoli against Inter, signaled by the assistant and not the referee, considered emblematic of the confusion to be avoided.

Updated data on referees’ performance

Selector Rocchi presented some data:

Correctness index: increased from 75% to 80% in the last three weeks, still far from the 90% of last season.

Generational turnover: the new class of referees is on average four years younger than the previous year, confirming an ongoing transition.

Objective: trust and clarity

Gravina reiterated the need to defend and enhance the role of referees, asking for respect from clubs and registered members. The meeting was described as “constructive” by all parties and represents a concrete step towards improving the relationship between football institutions and the refereeing world, often at the center of controversy.

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