Referees: Rocchi studies to be President of the Hague

From designator of Serie A and B Can to president of The Hague. In view of the next elections of all the federal components scheduled for December 2024, at least sixty days before those of the FIGC president, Gianluca Rocchi is aiming… for the big leap or to become the number one Italian whistleblower for the next four years. He is highly esteemed both by his colleagues and by the leaders of the Federation and, if as everything suggests he decides to run for the president’s seat, his chances of success would be fair.

history

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The former Florentine referee was appointed designator in July 2021 and has since held this traditionally complicated role in Italian football. Because training referees, even in times of VAR, is complicated as demonstrated by the many mistakes of the last few days. Rocchi had been wanted as designator by the president of The Hague, Alfredo Trentalange, elected a few months earlier (in February 2021), and remained in his post even after Trentalange resigned on 18 December 2022 to avoid the involvement of the Association in the scandal linked to the arrest of the national arbitration attorney Rosario D’Onofrio. It should be remembered that Trentalange was completely acquitted by the Federal Court of Appeal and the three-month ban imposed by the Federal Court was cancelled. Now he has returned to The Hague and since July he has been responsible for the Commission for the study, development and monitoring of association projects (double membership, school, value of the card, recruitment) and for the fight against violence. But let’s go back to Rocchi who now works with president Carlo Pacifici, elected last April. It remains to be seen whether the latter will decide to run again in next year’s elections or whether (as is probable) he will give up. Having an opponent of the weight of the former Florentine race director would be a great challenge. For Pacifici as for anyone else.

double role

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If he is elected president, Gianluca Rocchi should leave the role of designator, a position that is confirmed (or not) at the end of each sports season. It is clear, however, that since the president appoints the designator, i.e. the “responsible for the technical refereeing sector”, a great former referee like him, the second after Lo Bello in terms of number of direct matches in Serie A, would have an important specific weight in the world of arbitration.

three times

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Inevitably its role would become not only representative and, if you prefer, political. Because it is the president of The Hague who, together with the delegates of the association, participates in the election of the number one of the FIGC. The weight in terms of votes of the referees is lower than that of all the other 6 components (10.35 votes out of 516 total), but the political weight is something else. As for the double role of president and designator, in the history of Italian football it has been covered by the same person only in three cases and on an interim basis: by Saverio Giulini, in the 1965-66 season, by the “very president” Giulio Campanati, as commissioner in 1980- 81, and Cesare Gussoni, for a few months after his election when Tedeschi resigned (from December 2006 to June 2007).