The former referee heard by Ascione. In 2024 he resigned from the Italian Referees Association in protest with the leaders, who did not allow him to speak to the Prosecutor’s Office
A character appears in the investigation into referees by the Milan Prosecutor’s Office. Until yesterday distant, peripheral, today perhaps more central. The former referee Eugenio Abbattista was heard by the public prosecutor Maurizio Ascione and entered into the case file. There is a suspicion that his hearing could be important for the investigation. For sure, Abbattista is an accuser of the refereeing world. Certainly, his story – also told by Le Iene – is unique.
his story
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Abbattista resigned from the Italian Referees Association in March 2024. Uncommon gesture. He told Le Iene: “I was tired of the feeling of disgust I felt around me”. The decisive tone, straight without half measures, has never failed him. Born in Bari in 1982, Abbattista refereed in the Lega Pro, Serie B and Serie A. The episode that changed his life happened in 2020. Abbattista received an exemption to continue refereeing, despite the rules in force providing for the end of his career on the field due to “limits of permanence in the role”. When doubts were raised about the exemptions, in March 2024, Abbattista asked the Italian Referees Association for authorization to be heard by the federal prosecutor’s office. Faced with the ban in The Hague, he chooses to resign.
WHAT DOES HE DO NOW
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Thus Abbattista to Le Iene: “When I obtained the exemption I was happy, because staying on the pitch was rewarding for me. However, when there were appeals from dismissed colleagues I began to understand that something had not gone right. I voluntarily requested twice to be heard by the federal prosecutor’s office to clarify matters. I confirmed that Morganti had already informed me that I would stop refereeing. And, to confirm that the minutes of the highest body of referees are false, there is an unpublished document which I am able to provide you with an indication of the workforce for the season”. In these troubled years, Abbattista continued to remain in the world of refereeing. On 6 December 2024 he was appointed Club Referee Manager, i.e. in charge of referees, for Alcione, in Serie C. In August 2025 he was a consultant for Can di C. In the last year he has refereed in the Kings League, which he left a few days ago and not without controversy. Nothing compared to the break with The Hague.
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