Florence-born referee Massimiliano Irrati will officiate the Coppa Italia final between Inter Milan and Fiorentina as part of a broader strategy by Serie A referee-designatore Gianluca Rocchi.
This according to today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews, who report that Rocchi wants to break away from the taboo against appointing referees to fixtures featuring teams from their home city or region.
It is something of a taboo in football that referees from particular cities regions are not usually appointed to matches featuring teams from those areas.
The thinking is that these referees could carry a bias. For example, if a referee from the city of Rome is to officiate a clash between Roma and Cremonese, they may favour the Giallorossi.
Even if the referee in question is not a stated fan of a club, the thinking is that they may still have some broad inclination. This could in turn be reflected in their decisions during a match.
Irrati To Referee Inter Vs Fiorentina At Behest Of Rocchi
However, Serie A referee-designator Rocchi has aimed to change this taboo.
In the view of the referee-designator, it should simply be the case that the best officials take charge of the most important matches.
Rocchi has felt that the taboos are too restricting. For example, if the referee considered to be the best in the country is from Milan, that referee should take charge of title-deciding matches.
If a title-decider were to involve Inter or Milan facing Napoli or Juventus, that should not be factored in.
Rocchi believes that officials should be trusted to be unbiased regardless of where they hail from.
For this reason, the referee-designator has chosen Tuscan referee Irrati to officiate this evening’s Coppa Italia final between Inter and Fiorentina.
This is in spite of the fact that Irrati is from Tuscany, the city where La Viola play.
