Referee Simone Sozza put in a display officiating Inter’s Serie A clash with Napoli that proved he’s not just one of the best referees in Italy, but of the quality to referee top European matches.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via L’Interista, who rated the official’s handling of the match at 6.5/10.
Sozza has emerged as arguably the best of the crop of younger referees ready to take over as the main candidates to officiate the biggest Serie A matches.
The 35-year-old’s performance in yesterday’s match showed that he is already more than ready, as he was outstanding, getting all the major decisions right and stamping his authority on both sets of players.
Sozza allowed the match to be played at a high tempo and didn’t bring proceedings to a halt unless it was absolutely necessary, but was also ready to punish infringements swiftly.
A slew of late yellow cards could perhaps have been expected from a match of this importance no matter the referee in charge, but Sozza never let things boil over or get out of hand.
For the Corriere, the 35-year-old has put another feather in his cap as not just one of Italy’s top young referees, but one of the country’s top referees full stop.
