Daniele Orsato reveals he has been living under escort

The words of Orsato

Former referee Daniele Orsato, who now serves as "Commissioner of Referee Development and Talent" for the Italian Referee Association (AIA), spoke to Corriere della Sera about a bad episode that happened to him years ago.

"Definitely the most difficult moment è was when, after a match, I è was assigned an escort. Seven days of surveillance for me and my family. A referee knows he faces disputes, it’s part of the game, but that time was different: it wasn’t just me at the center of the storm, my wife and my two small children" were involved.

"Soccer should be passion, competition, never fear. Here, these things should not happen in the world of sports. Becauseé when dissent crosses the border of the field and becomes a threat, it means we have lost the most authentic sense of the game".

"Our association and the FIGC have made great strides in terms of sanctions against those who assault a referee. I believe that we should go as far as punishing aggression against a referee as we do for those who lash out at a carabiniere. There are young referees who are beaten for trivial reasons, and this to me è criminal violence. We have to be severe. Unfortunately, incidents of violence are occurring more and more often in stations, in historic city centers, in the suburbs…. For this è it is necessary for the family to return to being an important reference point".