AIA meets Serie A coaches, Pacifici: “Important meeting”

The usual start-of-season meeting between the Italian Referees Association (AIA) and the coaches of Serie A teams took place at the VAR Center in Lissone. The meeting, attended by all the clubs in the top professional league, was attended not only by the coaches but also by the managers of the various clubs.

For the AIA, prominent figures were present such as the president Carlo Pacifici, the vice-president Alberto Zaroli, the head of the CAN Gianluca Rocchi with the member Andrea Gervasoni, the head of the Technical Arbitration Sector Antonio Damato and the coordinator of relations with the companies Riccardo Pinzani.

“We believe a lot in these meetings and in communication, because breaking down barriers is fundamental to our work,” Pacifici declared. “This year we said goodbye to top-level referees such as Daniele Orsato, who has given so much also at an international level, as well as video match officials Massimiliano Irrati and Paolo Valeri, who take on important roles respectively in FIFA and the Hellenic Federation for the VAR project. We are proud that Italy is an international point of reference from a refereeing point of view, exporting culture and professionalism. Now we are focusing on young people, who are responding with great commitment, to increasingly raise the quality level of referees, assistants and those who work in the VAR Room.”

During the meeting, Gianluca Rocchi illustrated a series of videos on serious fouls, handballs and regulatory innovations provided for by Circular 1, such as the change regarding entering the area during a penalty kick. “We wanted an open discussion,” Rocchi explained, “to also listen to the coaches' opinion on these issues. Our goal is to work for the football system and offer a high level of service, both on the pitch and in the VAR Room.”

During the meeting, the statistics for the first three days of the championship were also presented, with an average effective playing time of just over 54 minutes per game. The meeting was also attended by important representatives of the League Serie A, including CEO Luigi De Siervo, Head of Competitions Andrea Butti and Editorial Director Lorenzo Dallari, testifying to the importance of collaboration between referees, coaches and managers for the future of Italian football.