The mild-mannered Paolo Casarin: "Referees? Sometimes I would kick them in the c…"

Paolo Casarin, one of the best Italian referees ever, on CRC, radio partner of SSC Napoli, did not mince words: “I love referees even now, but every now and then I would kick them in the c… . We went from 120 to 187 penalties given in a season in a few years. There are some penalties that are laughable. They are gifts”.

“Penalties should not be there in competitions. It is not possible for the final of a World Cup to be decided by a penalty shootout. In soccer, the maximum penalty has always been called for a penalty shot where the incident was clear, obvious and voluntary, that is something that could not be changed to the basis of the rules”.

8220;

The penalty shot should not be a penalty shot.

“The rules are easy, there are 17 but there are actually two. The spirit of the game demands that one should not play in such a way as to demolish and injure the opponent. Therefore, great care must be taken with fouls and misconduct by players and that the safety of the opponent” is not to be cared for.

“Rules 11 and 12 are the basic ones. The referee has to be good at understanding if it prevents both players from playing and that they do not harm each other. You have to make sure that the athletes play vigorously, without damaging each other”.