There had been warning signs, with some matches refereed from time to time without colliding with those of the Italian championship, but now the rumor is becoming insistent as the year 2024 approaches. Daniele Orsato, currently considered the best Italian referee and one of the best in the world, is in the sights of Saudi and Emirati football for next season, according to information from the Italian newspaper Tuttosport. If Daniele Orsato were to accept the very rich Saudi and Emirati offer, he would receive more than double his current salary as a Serie A referee.
The Italian Association of Arbitrators (often referred to by the acronym AIA) would suffer a huge blow, while Italian arbitration is still struggling to recover from the Rosario d’Onofrio affair, former boss of the arbitral institution accused of having imported six tonnes of drugs into Lombardy. Moreover, Tuttosport recalls that Daniele Orsato is considered a probable future president of AIA, capable of reforming and developing Italian arbitration, once his retirement is announced.
