Italian referee Daniele Orsato is in charge of England vs. Croatia at Wembley. Here’s the profile of the Serie A official who was named the best referee in the world in 2020.
Orsato is an Italian referee and so are his assistants Alessandro Giallatini, Fabiano Preti and Massimiliano Irrati who is in charge of VAR at Wembley today.
Orsato officiated 27 games across all competitions this season, including 15 in Serie A and five in Champions League.
The 45-year-old was the referee of Chelsea’s home games against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in the Champions League this season and officiated Manchester United vs. PSG in the group stage of Europe’s elite competition.
He was appointed for the Coppa Italia Finals in 2013, 2014 and 2105.
This is the first time Orsato officiates an England game, while he was appointed for two Croatia matches in the past, both won by The Blazers, against Czech Republic in 2011 and Hungary in 2019.
He was named the best referee in the world in 2020 and Irrati is regarded as the best VAR referee.
However, Orsato created controversy in 2018 when he failed to show a second yellow card to Miralem Pjanic during Inter vs. Juventus, which eventually resulted in a crucial victory for the Old Lady, who won the Serie A title that season.
During an interview with Rai Sport back in February, Orsato admitted his mistake, saying: “I was close to it, and I didn’t notice what I saw on TV later on. For me, it was a typical aerial challenge and VAR couldn’t intervene.
“VAR is helpful. When referees go on the pitch, we don’t think about VAR. We try to do our best, and if we make mistakes, we are lucky because we can rely on its help.”