AIA Presidency – A challenge is expected between Antonio Zappi and Alfredo Trentalange for the presidency of the Italian Referees Association (AIA), with the election scheduled for December 14. After the announcement of the candidacy of Trentalange, former president of the AIA, today Zappi also made his entry official, declaring in a note: “I am running to lead the AIA towards a future of autonomy, dialogue and innovation, built on the values of refereeing excellence.”
Antonio Zappi, 59, is a professional with a solid career in tax training and tax consultancy, as well as a long past as a referee and sports manager. "I am first and foremost a referee, and it is because of my passion and love for this Association that I have chosen to run for office. I want to put the skills I have acquired both on the pitch and in my professional career at the service of the AIA to give new energy to an institution that deserves to be a point of reference for Italian and international football," Zappi declared.
In his program, Zappi places particular emphasis on technological innovation and transparency in the refereeing world. “The AIA plays a leading role in the technological evolution of football, and I am committed to continuing to improve tools such as VAR, with the introduction of on-call VAR,” he explained, underlining how quality refereeing can minimize errors and offer greater certainty to fans and clubs. Among the proposals, Zappi also put forward the idea of broadcasting live the dialogues between referees and VAR and introducing periodic interviews with the referees, “to establish a more direct dialogue with the public and to better understand the refereeing dynamics.”
The AIA is currently led by Carlo Pacifici, who took over from Trentalange after the latter resigned following the scandal involving the association's then attorney, Rosario D'Onofrio, who was later sentenced to five years in prison. The December 14 election is therefore expected to be a crucial moment for the future of the AIA, with Zappi and Trentalange ready to present different but converging visions on a common goal: to make Italian refereeing equal to the challenges of modern football.
Article published on November 5, 2024 - 11:41
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