The referee designator Gianluca Rocchi spoke to Sky Sportsfocusing on the interpretations much discussed in recent weeks and on the errors of the last round of the championship: “In my opinion the last day created problems for us because we made some mistakes, or rather we made the wrong interpretations”, explained Rocchi.
“The difference between those who comment and us is that we have a regulation to follow and there are situations and ideas that are difficult to reconcile. When you rely on the regulation and you have everyone green, it means that the decision is not wrong. However, it is clear that making people digest some choices are difficult for us and for others. The first year we had many discussions on passive and active offside and we realized that VAR intervened too much”, he continued.
So a consideration on VAR
“The VAR starts with the idea that the intervention must be carried out if the error is serious. We are not off-road because we are in line with the European competitions and with the other leagues, apart from the Premier League. However, the intervention range is it’s widened. When there’s a major mistake, there are two guys in the VAR who think one way and then when they come out they understand that everyone outside thinks the opposite way Then let’s remember that there is subjectivity and therefore for us it can be a foul and for others it isn’t. Mistakes? In a day it can happen that there are two or three mistakes. We then have to bring those mistakes back into line the line of intervention”.
Does the presence of VAR soften the referee?
“If I discover this, it won’t make Serie A. It’s a generational change, the boy of today is different from the boy of 30 years ago. The modern referee is in a greater comfort zone with this tool. But we are very strict when on the pitch we don’t see them decide. VAR intervenes if there is a clear error. We don’t intervene on all contacts in the area.”
Is there the ability to establish contact with a scale?
“No, in fact our main task is to make referees well. If you referee well and are convincing, the VAR confirms the decision in 5 seconds. This moment is a generational change. It is important that the modern referee is able “a comfort area”, I asked for seriousness about serious fouls in the game and I get angry if they don’t do it. For me, if the referee makes correct decisions but makes a mistake in managing the match, he has a negative evaluation episode but the management is excellent has a positive evaluation. The good referee must be the one who understands what type of match he is facing. A referee who doesn’t blow the whistle when the two teams have a lot of contact is making a mistake the referee understands the type of match.”