Orsato draws line on external calls, L’AIA stands firm

Italian referee chief Daniele Orsato convened a pre‑season briefing in Cascia, the training base for officials, to outline the new guidelines for Serie A and B. He confirmed there will be no new rule on external phone calls and stressed that the L’AIA has nothing to be ashamed of.

Orsato adopts a coaching stance

Orsato presented himself as the “coach” of the match officials, a shift in perspective that framed the first agenda item on external communications. He closed the discussion quickly, stating, “There is nothing to adopt because there is nothing we must be ashamed of that was done in the past.” The remark ruled out any new codes or specific measures.

New operational guidelines and VAR approach

The L’AIA of Italia has appointed Domenico Messina as its first technical director, making him the sole point of contact for media relations. Orsato explained, “The technical director will be the only reference for speaking with the media – we will be as transparent as in the past about what happens on the pitch.” The federation will continue to publicly explain controversial decisions.

On the technical side, the new season’s philosophy aims to place the referee back at the centre of the game, limiting VAR to clear and obvious errors only. Orsato linked this approach to the recent World Cup, saying, “The legacy of the World Cup is that we saw the referee as the central figure.” The policy follows UEFA and FIFA guidance.

The changes IFAB amendments used at the World Cup and will be adopted in Italy without new regulatory revolutions. The goal is to strengthen referees’ personality, confidence and game‑reading ability, a focus reinforced during the Cascia training camp. Orsato added, “We have worked hard to understand game dynamics and to earn the trust and credibility of players and coaches on the field.”

A separate focus concerns the referee‑captain relationship, a topic addressed directly by FIFA through Roberto Rosetti at the camp. Orsato wants to reinforce this link to prevent encirclements of referees from Serie A down to youth fields. He explained, “The captain will represent the society; on the field the referee‑captain collaboration must be of high quality.”

While encouraging dialogue, Orsato warned that the aim is not to ban player‑referee conversations but to avoid crowding around the official. He noted the risk that encirclements in Serie A could translate into violence on peripheral pitches. Consequently, strict protocols on time‑wasting will be enforced, including a ten‑second limit for substitutions and a one‑minute exclusion for injured players after a restart, with specific exceptions.

Additional measures target deliberate delays of goal kicks or throw‑ins, awarding a corner to the opponent if the five‑second limit is exceeded. VAR will also allow the removal of a second yellow card that leads to a red via video review, and the correction of clearly erroneous corner decisions immediately, without delaying play.