The referee spoke from the stage of the CONI hall during the 41st edition of the Beppe Viola sports culture award Daniele Doveri: “I thank the jury for this award which makes me proud. We referees are more used to criticism than awards, it excites us doubly because we are not used to these contexts. The suburban courts are the most complicated, especially for the young referees to whom I dedicate this award, as women are subjected to any type of violence every weekend. Ten days ago a 15-year-old girl in Naples was the victim of violence during a match for provincial students. Sports culture must start from these environments.
I have gone through all refereeing eras, when I started refereeing there was no technology, then the electronic clock took over with goal line technology and then VAR, which changed the world. The players remembered the mistakes you made for 90 minutes, but now the mistakes are corrected and that helps. The new generation referees must referee as if there were no VAR, the fewer VAR interventions you make the better, to do this you need to referee well.”