The news had been in the air, but with today's appointments, it's official: the taboo on territorial restrictions in Serie A has fallen, and for the first time, a referee will officiate a match for a team from his own city.
This is Daniele Doveri, born in Volterra but resident in Rome and belonging to the Roma 1 section, who will referee Hellas Verona-Roma on Saturday at 20.
The goal of Aia and referee designator Gianluca Rocchi is clear: to be able to field the best referees in the most important matches in each round, regardless of their section of origin.
Thus, for the first time ever, the territorial constraint for match designations falls away.
The decision had already been somewhat anticipated by Doveri himself, in an interview given before the start of the championship to Sky Sport: "I would be happy to referee Roma and Lazio - he declared - It would be a cultural step forward".
A first step had actually already been taken last season, when Rocchi had designated Doveri as fourth official for the Sassuolo-Roma match.
The president of Hellas Verona, Maurizio Setti, the first person directly affected by the news, relies on the "neutrality" of the category.
"Who will referee Roma in Verona? For us there is no problem, because I think there should be no problems. The category must be neutral and there should be no problems related to the city where one lives", the words of the patron of Verona.
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