A new scandal is set to erupt around referees in Italy, as two former match officials claim some refs are boosted over others with fake evaluations. The Repubblica newspaper published the story, but there is also legal action in progress by two referees who were dismissed from the Serie B level due to poor performance.
Referees Daniele Minelli and Niccolo Baroni we were cut from the CAN B roster for poor performance, but there were two other match officials below them in the annual review, who were kept on. It emerged Ivan Robilotta and Eugenio Abbattista had worse performance statistics, but were allowed to continue for the 2020-21 season. By reviewing the paperwork, they found that Abbattista (photo) was given a perfect score of 8.70 by his superiors for the final game of the season, Spezia - Chievo, on 11 August 2020. However, that evaluation was signed by Riccardo Di Fiore, who then told the match official his score had been 8.60, so someone must have adjusted it. Now they have included WhatsApp chats between members of the Serie B Referees Committee (CAN B) from 21 August 2020. It shows the committee adjusting the marks for the final games, giving Abbattista, Juan Luca Sacchi and Francesco Fourneau perfect scores of 8.70, followed by a smiling face emoji. All these three referees have officiated Serie A games this season.
Source: Football Italia