Corriere dello Sport attacks Orsato's management: «VARs incapable without the boss's approval»

The refereeing errors over the weekend have reignited controversy over the system for appointing and managing match officials. Corriere dello Sport delivers a harsh analysis, pointing the finger at the so-called “high threshold” introduced by the new Orsato management, described as “two words to conceal oversights and flaws.”

At the center of the criticism are two separate incidents: the one involving Frattesi on Saturday and the one that occurred in Inter–Fiorentina, the latter judged by the newspaper as “similar, if not more serious.” The matches were refereed by Arena on Saturday and Mariani in Inter-Fiorentina, while at the VAR were Santoro and Fabbri. It is precisely about these latter officials that Corriere dello Sport uses harsh words: “Now terrified and unable to even order a coffee at the counter without their boss’s approval.”

The newspaper also contests the narrative that more playing time is due to Orsato’s work, instead attributing the merit to the pre-World Cup Ifab rules, designed to reduce time-wasting. About Mariani, the paper writes that “the technical standard was not always consistent,” and that his overall performance “was not convincing.”

A criticism that affects the entire system: from the referees on the field to the VAR assistants, up to the top of technical management.