Gianluca Rocchi, the referee designator for Serie A and B, has addressed the controversial officiating from the seventh round of league matches during the presentation of the second edition of the FIGC Sporting Justice Code. When asked if he was satisfied with the refereeing from the last matchday, Rocchi bluntly responded, “No.”
Regarding interpretations, Rocchi emphasized the importance of training, especially within a group. He stated, “We have 46 referees: either I put a chip inside each of them, or everyone has a thinking mind and their own philosophy. The goal is to have a common line: they can be free to represent their own thoughts, but if we make a decision, it must be followed by everyone together.”
Rocchi acknowledged the challenge of achieving complete consistency, noting, “The ideal would be to have 100 percent homogeneity, but it’s practically impossible: we’re dealing with human beings. Even with a well-written rule, the possibility of interpretation remains with those who judge.”
On the topic of roles, Rocchi expressed a preference for specialized VAR operators: “Our idea would be to have only dedicated VAR operators. We’ve noticed they have a slightly different philosophy. The separation is fundamental; if you work on a small group, interpretations are more common than in a large group.”
Addressing the potential for VAR challenges and effective playing time, Rocchi mentioned ongoing IFAB discussions. He suggested that VAR challenges could be a complementary solution to help referees reach correct decisions. Regarding effective playing time, Rocchi noted, “We’re working on time-wasting and other issues. If it were to arrive in football, it would revolutionize the sport, but probably everyone would play the same number of minutes.”
