Daniele Orsato admitted he was wrong not to show Miralem Pjanic a second yellow card during Inter-Juventus in 2018 and revealed what Cristiano Ronaldo told him when he checked his watch in Juve-Roma earlier in February. Orsato was a guest on Italian television, after he had refereed Spezia-Parma during the weekend. It was his 240th game in Serie A, just as many as Pierluigi Collina.
"The AIA President gave us and the media a great opportunity, and we all must make the most of it," he told Novantesimo Minuto. "This must be seen as an opportunity and not a space to create controversy. Otherwise, we'll go nowhere. We all make mistakes, and we've always admitted it. We can only improve by working on them," he added. "I don't think there are more fouls in Italy than in other countries,” Orsato, who was named world's best referee in 2020, continued. "I always use the same style. Whether I officiate a game in Italy or Europe, I don't find much difference. I don't think that's the reason why our clubs are struggling [in European competitions].” How do referees feel when they return home after a mistake? "We are not happy and we always watch what happened. We are the first ones to be self-critical. We want to improve and we look at mistakes more than positive things."
Orsato was asked why he didn’t show Miralem Pjanic a second yellow card during an Inter-Juventus clash in 2018. "It was a mistake. I was close to it, and I didn't notice what I saw on TV. For me, it was a typical aerial challenge. VAR couldn't intervene,” Orsato admitted. "VAR is helpful. When referees go on the pitch, we don't think about VAR. We try to do our best, and if we make mistakes, we are lucky because we can rely on VAR. "Spezia had a goal disallowed after a VAR check yesterday. It was ruled out for an offside that was impossible to spot live for my assistant. VAR is working well, I don't think it can improve as is now, but if something is changed, it will be for the game's good.”
Cristiano Ronaldo checked Orsato’s watch during Juventus-Roma earlier in February to make sure his shot hadn’t crossed the line. "There wasn't a lack of respect. He asked me if the ball crossed the line,” Orsato said. “He asked me how the system is working. There was nothing strange. He only wanted to know how the watch works. The relationship between referees, players and coaches has improved. It's right to have dialogue, but a referee must always be strict.” When will women referee be appointed for Serie A and Serie B games? "Women referee have already reached the same level as men. Frappart is already at men's level, there's not much pyhsical gap between men and women referees and it won't take long before we see a women referee in Serie A or Serie B."
Source: Football Italia
