Fernando Rapallini was one of the two Argentine referees selected by FIFA and recounted his experience in the three matches he led at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. “The only thing I can relate to refereeing a World Cup match, speaking from a sporting point of view, is the birth of a child. They tell you what it is to be a father, but only when you really become father, you get an idea of what it means. Everything they told you; you live it. This is the same, a World Cup cannot be compared to anything. Entering a field, seeing those historic signs, being with those players, listening to the hymns. Something magical and indescribable is produced, which cannot be counted with words”, said Rapallini.
He surely dreamed of it more than once, back in his native La Plata and throughout his life. When the desire to be a referee took shape and he began to climb the ranks, until reaching the first division, that desire was more latent than ever and finally came true in 2022, with his selection to be part of a World Cup, which will be unforgettable for all Argentines. And Fernando Rapallini was there and clearly at the level of the highest competition. “I have the best memories of having refereed in a World Cup. I had talked a lot with Hector Baldassi, Horacio Elinzondo, Francisco Lamolina and Angel Sanchez and they told me something that I was able to confirm: the experience of a World Cup match is unique. Regardless of all our team’s previous experience with very important matches in Qualifiers, the U-20 in Poland, the Euro, the Club World Cup, the Copa America, which are wonderful tournaments, this is different from everything else. When my first game ended, which was Morocco against Croatia, as soon as I whistled the end, I went to the locker room, took off my referee shirt, put on a training shirt and ran up to the stands to hug my wife Veronica and my daughter Martina. We kissed each other and we began to cry, because it had been a peak moment for the three of us, due to the entire process lived up to that moment”.
The appointments in the most important tournaments on the continent, and in the world, including Euro 2020, where he set the record of being the first non-European referee at that competition, accompanied as always by assistants Juan Pablo Belatti and Diego Bonfa, predicted that he would be in Qatar 2022. The assumptions became certainties in a very special way. “I remember the moment of the World Cup appointment as if it were today. I was in Colombia for a Copa Libertadores match and upon arriving at the airport, moments before returning to the country, I received the news. I have it very fresh, because it came at the moment when we took the suitcases from the car at the airport. The emotion and joy were immense, in the midst of a mixture of sensations, because I would have liked to be able to teleport and be with my wife and daughter, but at the same time, I was with Juampi Belatti and Turco Bonfa, who were also appointed, so we hugged each other very excited. I called Vero crying and I don't even remember what I told her (laughs). After a while I saw the complete list, and there was Facundo Tello, who is a friend and a particular situation arose, because he was in Brazil, also for the Libertadores. I called him and we couldn't say anything to each other, because we both cried for a minute and a half. We had to cut it because of the emotion we had”.
An appointment of such level requires intense preparation, which is not only limited to the previous months, but has come a long time before. “There are four years of a strict process, from a physical point of view, but even stronger from a mental one. I was lucky to work with Marcelo Roffe, a great sports psychologist, whom I thank for the hand he gave me, especially in the final stretch, where you have to be better in your head to face this type of challenge. He is part of an excellent interdisciplinary group, where I have a field instructor, a gym teacher, and a small injury recovery specialist. I also want to mention the kinesiologist, the massage therapist, the osteopath, the English teacher, the podiatrist, the personal psychologist. I refer to each one of them, because they were the ones who made it possible for me to get to where I am. And, of course, the family, which is the great support, understanding what goes through the head of a person who is facing a similar moment, trying to achieve a maximum objective”.
The World Cup experience began on November 23 with the goalless draw between Morocco and Croatia and later continued with the vibrant Switzerland - Serbia 3-2, followed by the Round of 16 match, when the surprising Morocco withstood the attacks of Spain to reach the penalties, producing one of the big impacts of the tournament by eliminating it. On that match, Rapallini had the opportunity to share the field with great players, among whom Luka Modric, Sergio Busquets and Sofyan Amrabat stood out for their quality. A contest that he also enjoyed because of what was happening with his Argentine colleague: “We are friends with Facundo Tello, we went through the selection process together, sharing many things and with significant generosity. We spent $10,000 there, because he was also accompanied by his father and his brother. His presence makes me very happy, because he is a very good referee and a great person. There was no selfishness between us."
The World Cup Qatar 2022 had an interesting start with significant VAR interference, especially in the early rounds. Beyond being a subject that will continue to be controversial in the world of football, there is an interesting background to learn about, as Rapallini tells it: “The line they gave us was very clear, both for field and VAR referees: calling only clear and obvious errors; otherwise, no intervention. I think that in general there were very good decisions from both parties, because the tool helped on the field of play as well. And semi-automated offside technology greatly speeds up revision times. With respect to the additional time, there was a specific message in preparation regarding recovering the necessary time, giving back to football what was being taken from it, with the help of the fifth referee who acted as timekeeper, advising the fourth official about the minutes lost on the field due to goal celebrations, expulsions or admission of the stretcher, events that the VAR does not record. Then it was the VAR who informed us of the number of minutes used in review. We gathered that information which provided enough accuracy in the time recovery, to make the net playing time effective”.
Rapallini is very happy with his tournament. “We are very satisfied with our performance and they confirmed it. When we refereed Spain-Morocco in the Round of 16, we knew it could be our last presence in the tournament, beyond our performance, due to the regulations, and that's what happened: when Argentina advanced, they told us we had to go back home. But luckily, that game not only went to extra time, but also to penalties, so we ended up staying on the field for about 150 minutes, enjoying ourselves, although with the latent feeling that it could be good-bye. At the end we remained there, contemplating the celebrations of some and the sadness of others. We wanted that journey to never end." For them the job was over, but not for the national team of Argentina, which continued its march towards glory: “We watched the first three games of Argentina from the hotel due to schedule issues. There were four matches each day in the group phase: at 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., but we could only attend the third, because during the first match we were returning from training for lunch, during the second game we had meetings and during the last one it was already very late and we had to rest, because the activity started very early every day. The one we did go to at the stadium was the quarter-final against the Netherlands, with the detail that we were accompanied by our colleagues from that country. We sat close together and, of course, each one shouted for the goals of their country. It was a heart-stopping game and when Lautaro scored the last penalty, we went crazy”.
Both Facundo Tello and Fernando Rapallini himself sat at a small table of just four members. Angel Coerezza and Carlos Esposito were imaginarily located there, the Argentine referees who had refereed at the World Cup in 1978 and 1986, respectively, the previous unforgettable feats of the Albiceleste: “Before the World Cup, I was asked whether I would prefer to referee the final or for Argentina to get there. My answer was always the same: if I am there, 50 people, who are my friends and family, will be happy, but if the National Team plays the decisive match, it will be celebrated by 50 million. How not to be happy to see Messi lift the World Cup? And how can we not celebrate that, in this tournament, which will go down in history, we were there. We watched the semi-final with Croatia at the airport, we even changed our tickets, because otherwise it would catch us on the return flight. I was able to watch the final at home with my family, where we all cried together with emotion. For Veronica, Martina, and I, it was very important, because we had never witnessed a World Cup. What I like the most is seeing my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter being a Messi fan and singing all the songs. All Argentines are going to need a little time to realize what we are living through”.
Source: Infobae
