VAR Takes a Back Seat in Serie A, Making the Game Much More Enjoyable! The 'Orsato Revolution'

Daniele Orsato and Domenico Messina, who were appointed to lead referee assignments in Serie A, have launched a revolutionary era in the league. The strict and clear guidelines brought by the new referee management have fundamentally transformed the approach on the pitch in a short time.

NO 'VAR', NO PENALTIES, PLENTY OF GOALS

With Orsato taking charge, referee performances and the match rhythm in Serie A experienced a striking shift. Across the first 24 matches of his tenure, the standout statistics are as follows:

HIGH-SCORING MATCHES

No Goalless Draws: None of the first 24 matches ended in a 0-0 draw.

The Penalty Spot Forgotten: With referees refraining from whistling minor contact inside the penalty area, not a single penalty has been awarded yet.

Discipline Kept on the Pitch: Referees issued only 1 red card, which was due to a fight.

VAR Monitors Went Dark: During the first week and a half of the 2026-27 season, no referee was called to the pitchside VAR monitor; VAR remained limited to background "silent checks."

'NOT EVERY CONTACT WILL BE CHECKED'

Fully backed by UEFA, the core objective of this new approach is to keep the match uninterrupted and restore the referee's authority on the field. The main instructions passed on to the refereeing squad by Orsato and Messina include:

High Intervention Threshold: VAR will step in only for "clear and obvious" errors; the game will not stop for every controversial incident.

Allowing Physical Contact: Guided by the principle that "not every contact is a foul," exaggerated falls and soft penalty expectations will go unanswered.

Penalty Box Standards: As a severe penalty, spot-kicks will require genuinely clear and clear-cut infractions.

'OUR FOOTBALL IS BACK'

This change, which generated widespread buzz across the Italian football community, also sparked heated debate in the media. Sport Italia commentator Michele Criscitiello sharply criticized the former head of the referee designator committee, Gianluca Rocchi, while praising the new era:

"Finally, we are starting to return to football. We're free from play constantly stopping over minor contacts and the endless nonsense imposed by Gianluca Rocchi. Rocchi was ruining Serie A. Orsato arrived and changed everything. Of course, referees will make mistakes, but the top-down instruction is correct: Play on, get up, run! The era of penalties for soft touches inside the box is over. The Inter-Napoli match was a perfect example; referee Sozza didn't stop the play and didn't try to be the decisive factor. We're sick of cinema scenes where the VAR center in Lissone was run like the Vatican. VAR should be used sparingly and only in obvious cases."

Under Orsato's leadership, this new era enhances the fluidity and entertainment value of the game, setting Serie A on course to once again become the home of uninterrupted football.