Fabio Capello doesn't mince his words. The former AC Milan, Juventus, and Real Madrid manager, known for his outspokenness, has launched a veritable indictment of the international refereeing profession.
In a lengthy interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, “Don Fabio” dismantled the current management of VAR and the mentality of match officials, going so far as to define the category with a very heavy term: “mafia”.
The caste and the rejection of technical competence
At the heart of Capello's criticism isn't just human error, but a structural issue consisting of "little competence, a lot of jealousy, and a huge desire to be the center of attention." When the Spanish commentator touches on the Video Assistant Referee, the Friulian coach reacts vehemently.
"Referees are a mafia," Capello declares literally. The main accusation concerns the profession's ostracism of those who have actually played football. "They don't want to use former players for VAR, people who know the ins and outs of the pitch, the movements an athlete makes to stop or take a stance."
According to Capello, a lack of on-court experience leads to surreal decisions: "Many times they make mistakes because they haven't played. If a player gets touched in the face and falls, they whistle. But why? If I'm 6'3" and my opponent is 5'7", the natural movement of my arm impacts his face. This technical blindness drives me crazy."
The UEFA dossier: the numbers of the failure
To support his thesis, Capello doesn't limit himself to hunches, but cites specific data from a technical meeting shared with European football's top brass. The data revealed is shocking and confirms, according to the former coach, the inadequacy of the current protocol.
"Together with UEFA, we analyzed 20 situations in which penalties were awarded," Capello explains. "These incidents were reviewed by a commission of former players and coaches.
The verdict? Of those 20 penalties awarded by the referees, only 6 were correct. The other 14 were not there." A margin of error exceeding 70% that calls into question the effectiveness of technology when it is mediated by those unfamiliar with the dynamics of the game.
Between Negreira and Calciopoli: a dig at Spain
The interview also touched on the raw nerves of football scandals, comparing the Negreira case—which rocked Barcelona over payments to the former vice president of referees—with the Italian Calciopoli scandal.
Capello dismisses the Spanish corruption attempt with irony and Madrid pride: "Think how strong we were, they wanted to stop us like this and they didn't succeed." However, his tone becomes serious when it comes to sporting justice.
The former coach defends "his" Juventus, emphasizing a substantial difference: "There was no money involved in Calciopoli, yet Juve paid the price with relegation. It's you Spaniards who don't know how to take action," he concludes bitterly, highlighting the disparity in treatment between the two sports justice systems.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (4)
And football, beyond a few real matches, is a whole LATRINE. Thanks to the world of betting!
When he won everything was ok
I understand Capello's point, but I don't agree with everything. Referees make mistakes like everyone else, but I don't think they're all incompetent or malicious. They should be better trained, though.
It's interesting that Capello talks about the mafia in reference to referees. But I don't know if it's fair to generalize, because there are honest referees. The VAR issue is complex and deserves a broader discussion.