Italian referee Daniele Orsato will take charge of World Cup opener Qatar-Ecuador, here’s a profile of the 46-year-old.
Orsato is one of the most experienced officials in Italy and one who AIA – the Italian federation of referees – often picks when it comes to big games in Italy.
Born in Montecchio Maggiore, in the region of Veneto, North-East of Italy, on November 23, 1975, Orsato was named best referee in the World by FFHS in 2020.
He is the first Italian referee to officiate the opening game of a World Cup while three compatriots – Sergio Gonnella in 1978, Pierluigi Collina in 2002 and Nicola Rizzoli in 2014 – were appointed for Finals in the past.
Ciro Carbone and Alessandro Giallatini will be Orsato’s assistants in Qatar-Ecuador, with Massimiliano Irrati and Paolo Valeri in charge of VAR.
Orsato made his Serie A debut on December 17, 2006, in a 1-1 draw between Siena and Atalanta in Tuscany. He became an international referee in 2010, making his Champions League debut in September 2012, a group-stage meeting between Porto and Dinamo Zagreb.
His second Champions League match was at Old Trafford in a 1-0 loss for the Red Devils against Cluj.
Overall, he has officiated 263 Serie A matches, showing 1,405 yellow cards and 23 straight red cards, sending off 39 players after receiving two yellow cards.
Despite a brilliant career that reached its peak in the 2019-20 Champions League Final won by Bayern Munich against PSG has been at the centre of controversy a few times.
The most prominent was in a tense Serie A match between Inter and Juventus in 2017-18, won by the Bianconeri. Inter complained because Miralem Pjanic should have received a second yellow card for a reckless foul on Raphina in the second half. Orsato had shown a straight red card to Inter midfielder Matias Vecino in the first half.
Juventus scored two late goals, claiming a 3-2 win which was eventually crucial in the title race that saw the Old Lady finish with 95 points against Napoli‘s 91.
The Italian referee admitted his error a few years later.
“It was a mistake. I was close to it, and I didn’t notice what I saw on TV. For me, it was a typical aerial challenge. VAR couldn’t intervene,” he said in an interview in 2021.
He didn’t officiate an Inter game for three years after that incident.
The latest big match he officiated was the Champions League semi-final second leg between Real Madrid and Manchester City this past May.