Laura Fortunato was appointed to referee in Australia-New Zealand 2023 and will represent Argentina at a Women’s World Cup for the second time in her career. The international referee spoke with ESPN.com about the advances in women's football and the vicissitudes of her profession.
Her beginnings as referee and the presence of women in refereeing
“When I did the referee course, I was teaching at the same time and I had to manage my time, because I took jobs in little schools and swimming pools; I was going from here to there all day. During the week, the course took a lot of my time and on weekends I refereed. It was getting difficult. I tried to focus on work during the week to be able to dedicate 100% of the weekend to refereeing. When I started my referee career, there were very few women in football, in general, not to mention in AFA. We were 10 women compared to 600 men who were already in AFA. It was very striking that a woman would referee a match. Over the years, more and more women joined. Today there are 50 women in AFA and what one sees is that there are more and more followers, more women want to take the course and on social networks or on TV we see an impressive number of women, perhaps in less recognized leagues. But they are there, fighting to be able to enter AFA, which has impressive worldwide recognition. Little-by-little, the generations are changing and more is being done to open up these areas that were believed to be masculine; it is opening up to women because of their abilities. It's hard for me to see myself as a role model, but sometimes I get messages from different girls from different parts of the country. I realize that I can inspire them to keep this moving forward, it's good. We are in a pivotal generation that is going to prepare the way so that in a few more years more and more women will be able to enjoy the profession and reach much higher than we are now. If I think about being an instructor? I would love to. I am still very focused on on-field refereeing, but in the future I would love to be able to pass on what I learned and I will continue to learn. I hope that possibility arises. It is a very important position to have instructors who understand what the referee's role was, former referees who know how to transmit their knowledge.”
The role of referees: a very mistreated profession
“It is a very difficult profession; we are very criticized. Psychological support is very important because there are referees who are more or less prepared to face criticism and pressure. There are times when you referee in a full stadium, it's a final, an important match and all of that puts pressure on the referee who has to try to deal with it in the best way possible. Post game, after a mistake or a criticism, we are not considered to be people... like when a player kicks a penalty and sends it out. People should have a little more empathy. In the women football, they want to equalize for the worse with the masculine, criticizing the referees, looking for problems or controversies where there are none. No referee in the world wants to be wrong. You have to make decisions in a matter of seconds, there are times when you can't get to see everything. Honesty is called into question when it comes to a mistake. The best referee is the one who, when the game ends, you don't know who refereed and you have to google it. My objective is always that the game ends and that nobody knows who refereed that match. Concentration on a playing field for 90 minutes is very difficult. We are a team and we try to keep everyone on the lookout constantly. The intercoms help us in case someone loses concentration; when you lose attention anything can happen. Sometimes, nothing is happening in the game and one can easily disperse, but the idea is to focus individually and collectively.
VAR, an ally that is here to stay
“I always said that the VAR is a very important tool for refereeing. I really believe that, applied well, it is vital to avoid those types of clear problems or obvious errors that can lead to a conflict. It is a technological tool, but it is managed by people and obviously there can be errors. It is a matter of time until certain points that are being tested are adjusted, there are countries where it has not yet been implemented. You have to give it time, there will always be mistakes because there are interpretation plays. Sometimes we analyze a play in a room with 100 referees and half believe one thing and the other half another. Hopefully they never take out the tool because it is very important for the referee on the field and, obviously, for the assistants. The VAR intervention is necessary when there are clear and obvious errors, not when it is a very subtle play or the referee explains what happened (for example a touch that is not enough to call a foul). The VAR reviews all the decisive plays (penalties, goals, red cards, mistaken identity). There are things that are not seen or not perceived live. When the situation does not warrant a change of decision, the VAR allows the game to continue. Each interpretative play cannot be interrupted; if the situation is covered by the referee, it does not need intervention. For example, in offside situations, the VAR draws lines. They are factual, you do not need the referee to review them. The time it takes to review a play is related to the quality of the image or the corresponding angle. The VAR must look for the best image and sometimes it is not the correct one, or the camera is moved. There are 15 cameras and you have to find the right one. And when you call the referee, you must show him two or three positions, so that she can evaluate. The time that technology takes is not always fast.
Australia-New Zealand, her second World Cup
“I am very excited to be able to be at a World Cup again. I found out at the end of last year, around Christmas. I received the appointment by email and I was very happy; I was looking forward to this moment. I am very happy and more prepared than ever to face this possibility. I gained some experience, not only in the last World Cup, but also the Olympic Games, Copa America, Copa Libertadores. There were big tournaments and many preparation sessions that give you experience. The way to face the new challenge is different. This World Cup is going to be different and each participant will be different because everything is progressing (attendance, pace of the matches, player abilities), not only refereeing but women's football worldwide is progressing a lot. Our progress goes hand-in-hand with the support provided by AFA, CONMEBOL and FIFA. The match refereeing experience, the learning, being with the elite of world refereeing, sharing a class, training with the best in the world, it gives you a baggage that has no comparison with anything else in refereeing. The instructors are excellent professionals who accompany us every day with a lot of learning. Talks with colleagues, having the opportunity to see certain places that one never imagined knowing. Refereeing gives you the possibility to meet incredible people and places.”
Dreams and projects
“Sometimes it's hard to think about what I dream about because opportunities appear little-by-little. When I look back, I remember that, when I started my career, other colleagues went to an international tournament or Olympic Game and I saw it as too far away for me. And now I see everything that I have lived, I look back and see everything that I came to do. Where do I dream of going? I don't know, I'm going step-by-step and I am 100% focused on the World Cup and that's good for setting short-term goals. I hope I can give Argentina the best possible representation. I am already 38 years old and the refereeing career is not eternal, it is ending around 45, but now the VAR opens other doors to extend the "refereeing life". I will see later which option is the most suitable for me.”
Source: ESPN
