Minister Abodi: “The role of the referee should never be questioned. Respect must start from families”

Il rispetto per gli arbitrators e il ruolo della donna nel calcio sono stati i temi centrali affrontati dal ministro per lo Sport e i Giovani, Andrea Abodi, on the occasion of the book presentation “Decido io: dal sogno alla Supercoppa.

Abodi stressed the importance of the behavior of adults in the stands, which often directly reflects on the young athletes on the field: "If a parent insults a referee who is just over twenty years old, it is unlikely that the model he transmits will be better. The role of the referee should never be questioned and there is still a lot of work to be done on this."

The minister then spoke about the language used during youth matches, often influenced by the attitudes of adults: “As a parent, I see a systematic lack of respect. It is clear that we need to do more with families, because if parents use a certain language, it is likely that their children will repeat it on the field.”

Women in Football: “We Need Equal Opportunities”

In addition to the topic of sports education, Abode addressed the issue of gender inequality in the world of football, underlining how the title of Nicolosi's book represents an important message: “'I decide' means that if it's no, it's no; if it's yes, it's yes. This is true in many areas, including the path of women in football, where we are still largely unequal”.

The aim, according to the minister, is to accelerate the process of equity in the world of sport: “We need to do something more, but not just in view of March 8. For me, Women's Day begins on March 9 and lasts all year, with concrete commitments to be carried forward to guarantee real equal opportunities”.

Abodi concluded by reiterating that the path to a cultural change in sport is still long, but necessary: “We cannot limit ourselves to reporting unpleasant episodes hoping that they will not happen again. We must continue to work so that respect and equality become the norm.”