Two Serie A referees won’t officiate Napoli games: ‘Not safe’ | OneFootball

Serie A referee Marco Guida reveals he and Fabio Maresca won’t officiate Napoli games: ‘ When I made mistakes, walking in the streets or going to the grocery store wasn’t exactly safe.’

Guida and Maresca live in Naples’ province and the Italian Referee Association (AIA) recently scrapped territorial boundaries, meaning that referees could officiate matches of teams based in the same region as their section.

By instance, a Lombardy-based official can now referee Milan and Inter, while those coming from Campania can oversee Napoli matches.

Guida and Maresca, however, have decided not to officiate Napoli games.

“Fabio Maresca and I can referee Napoli matches without a problem, but we’ve decided not to because football is experienced differently compared to other cities like Milan,” Guida told Radio CRC via Repubblica.

“We simply did what we thought was most appropriate, even without territorial boundaries.”

Two Serie A referees won’t officiate Napoli games: ‘Not safe’

Milan’s Theo Hernandez (C-L) is sent off by referee Marco Guida during the Italian Serie A soccer match between FC Inter and AC Milan at Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan, Italy, 05 February 2022. EPA-EFE/MATTEO BAZZI

Guida and Maresca are among the most experienced Serie A referees.

Guida, 43, has officiated 208 games in Serie A and 11 in the Champions League, including two in the current campaign: PSV-Sporting CP and Atletico Madrid-Lille.

“I live in the province of Naples, I have three children, and my wife runs a business. It’s a personal choice. I have to take my children to school in the morning, and I want to do it peacefully,” Guida continued.

“Football is lived with strong emotions over here. When I made mistakes, walking in the streets or going to the grocery store wasn’t exactly safe. Thinking of making an error, like awarding a penalty kick and not being able to leave home for two days for my daily activities, didn’t make me feel at ease.

“AIA has given us the freedom to officiate any team, anytime. I want to be transparent about this. There is no hidden agenda. The designator, Gianluca Rocchi, picks the best referees for the best games.”

Guida believes that cultural issues make referees’ lives much harder, regardless of the league. In recent weeks, angry fans and parents have attacked several young referees, even in youth games.

“The media portrays referees as enemies to be insulted, no matter what. I can’t watch a youth game where the parents insult the referee,” Guida concluded.

“I am a father of three, and I truly believe it’s deeply harmful. We’re talking about young people who do this job out of passion and respect for the rules, hoping to make it to Serie A one day. Yet, they are insulted from the first to the last minute of the game.”