Referee training session of the Associazione Italiana Arbitri CAN A – the Italian referees of the highest football level.
The Italian referees had to pass their fitness tests at the beginning of the season. Someone filmed it and published it on YouTube accompanied with some relaxing music. I love it to see other referees do their training sessions.
Check out the three video’s below about the referee training session.
Video one contains the warming-up laps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILcDl887HgE
Video two contains footage of the sprint tests.
Video three contains something that looks like a shuttle-run (beep) test. And a new series of sprinting.
Ravshan Irmatov whistled for a foul in the Confederations Cup match between Italy and Brazil and awarded a penalty. Then he realised that another Italian player scored a goal immediately after he whistled. He choose to change decision and awards the goal.
Is that a correct call by the referee? Below an explanation based on the Laws of the Game, but first the video from that match.
“He has admitted he made a mistake,” said FIFA spokesman Pekka Odriozola. Below there’s an explanation why it was a mistake, so you could learn from that.
A short description of the situation: There’s a corner kick for Italy and players are duelling for the ball. Ravshan Irmatov sees an offence by a Brazilian defender in his own penalty area. Due to fans and commentators you might not hear the whistle, but you can see him pointing to the penalty spot. But he sees that the ball goes to an Italian player who has a clear shooting opportunity and he kicks the ball in the net.
The reaction of Italian player Chiellini shows that he thinks the goal is cancelled, but then he sees the referee pointing to the middle line.
But was that correct? No, because the referee already whistle for a foul. The Laws of the Game say that “the ball is out of play when A) it has wholly crossed the goal line or touch line whether on the ground or in the air; B) play has been stopped by the referee”.
The latter option (B) is why nobody could have scored. At the moment he whistled, Irmatov has stopped play and when play is stopped, nobody could score any more. That’s one of the basic rules every referee should know.
Change decision
But can’t a referee change his decision? Yes, referees can.
Uzebistan referee Irmatov at the 2010 World Cup with Jubilani ball.
The LATG say: “The referee may only change a decision on realising that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant referee or the fourth official, provided that he has not restarted play or terminated the match.”
It does not mean that if he stops play, he can correct it by letting play continue for a goal being scored. What Irmatov could have done after allowing the goal, is changing that decision and still give the penalty he whistled for in the first time.
Italian news website MNews reports that a referee has been kicked on his head. It’s not a pitch invasion like I posted last week, but this seems a serious violent offence against the referee.
Check out the video below. Sad to see this referee hobbling slowly of the pitch after “being kicked on the head”, according to Italian news website Mnews. The teams Melito di Porto Salvo and Santo Stefano d’Aspromonte you were playing the game. The score was 5-3 at the moment of the incident.
My Italian is not good (status: can understand texts only with Google Translate), so maybe my Italian followers could tell what the Italian FA does after such incidents when a referee is kicked on his head.
