Refereeing chief Alfredo Trentalange is open to coaches making VAR requests, admits handball rules have gone too far and wants officials seen as ‘an instrument of peace.’
The President of the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA) gave a live interview on Rai 2 show Dribbling this evening, and you can read the rest of his comments here.
Refereeing chief Alfredo Trentalange is open to coaches making VAR requests, admits handball rules have gone too far and wants officials seen as ‘an instrument of peace.’
The President of the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA) gave a live interview on Rai 2 show Dribbling this evening, and you can read the rest of his comments here.
Whereas in England the complaint is that VAR is used too much, Italian media, fans and coaches tend to demand referees go to the screen more often to evaluate borderline decisions.
“Perhaps Italian referees went to the monitor more last year, but now we are more in line with the UEFA and FIFA systems,” said Trentalange.
“The only country where there’s a difference is probably in England. VAR has been a huge discovery and we cannot go back now.
“The referee is always convinced during a game that he has got it right. Ask any referee and he’ll assure you that he saw it properly. However, on a TV screen you can see things from different angles, where the human eye cannot cover everything, and VAR changes your life.”
The biggest complaint in Italy is that the referee feels too confident and won’t go to the monitor.
“Look, the first person to be truly upset if he decided a result with a bad call is the referee. He is there to act as a peacemaker, to mete out justice.
“People tend to see the referee not as an instrument of peace, but rather as someone who ruins your weekend. VAR will help to change that perspective.”
There are also calls for the coaches to be allowed a VAR request for certain incidents. Could that be another step?
“We won’t know what we don’t experiment, and we are ready for any experimentation. The referee of the future must be searching for knowledge and not be presumptuous,” added Trentalange.
“We are trying to reduce the VAR interventions as much as possible, because we know full well that people don’t want constant interruptions, but I don’t know what the IFAB will do in future.”
The IFAB is tinkering with the handball regulations after complaints at the sheer number of penalties last season.
“There is a balance that needs to be found, because it’s true that you cannot use your hands and arms in football, but we also know full well that perhaps the situation has gone too far the other way now.”
Trentalange’s final suggestion is to help young players also train as referees during their development, which will help them both understand the rules better, and have options in their careers.
“Today’s referee studies teams, players, tactics, systems and free kick routines very carefully. It’s important for a referee to be close to the action.”