Roberto Rosetti
Encyclopedia
Roberto Rosetti is a former Italian
football
referee. He is fluent in Italian, English and French. He started refereeing in 1983, and took charge of his first match in the Italian Serie A in 1996. He received his FIFA
Badge in 2002. Aside from his referee-duties, Rosetti works as director of a hospital.
Rosetti is counted amongst the top referees of all time in a list maintained by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). He retired following the 2010 FIFA World Cup
to take a position with the Italian Football Federation as the referee designator for Serie B
League.
Luciano Moggi
, then general director of Juventus
, had described Rosetti and his fellow colleague Pierluigi Collina
as being too 'objective' in an intercepted telephone call. Moggi also claimed that Rosetti and Collina should be 'punished' for decisions made against Juventus in that same phonecall.
Rosetti emerged from the scandal unscathed.
. He refereed the semi-final between Chelsea
and Liverpool
at Stamford Bridge
, earning the praise of UK television and radio commentators for his control of the game. Prior to the match, Liverpool coach Rafael Benítez
had noted that the home side tends to emerge victorious when Rosetti referees.
At the tournament, Rosetti was the referee for the:
. He attracted criticism for sending off Manchester United's Darren Fletcher
during the second leg of the semi-final between Manchester United and Arsenal
. Rosetti allegedly saw Fletcher clip the back heel of Cesc Fàbregas
, with Fàbregas falling in the penalty area. Replays later showed that Fletcher had touched the ball prior to fouling Fàbregas but he was still forced to miss the final. Nonetheless, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
refused to blame Rosetti afterwards, concluding that it was simply "terribly unlucky." Retired English World Cup referee Graham Poll
has since suggested that the referee was right to issue a red card as the fact that Fletcher touched the ball while committing the foul was in fact irrelevant under FIFA
's revised law.
The next game he refereed was the Argentina-Mexico game in the Round of 16, where he decided to allow an offside goal his assistant referee Stefano Ayroldi missed. The following day, Rosetti was left off the list of 19 referees announced by FIFA to take part in the rest of the competition although football's world governing body did not explain why. This decision affected Rosetti greatly and was the major reason behind his retirement.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee. He is fluent in Italian, English and French. He started refereeing in 1983, and took charge of his first match in the Italian Serie A in 1996. He received his FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Badge in 2002. Aside from his referee-duties, Rosetti works as director of a hospital.
Rosetti is counted amongst the top referees of all time in a list maintained by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). He retired following the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
to take a position with the Italian Football Federation as the referee designator for Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
League.
2006 Italian match-fixing scandal
Rosetti was untainted by the match-fixing scandal which affected Italian football in 2006.Luciano Moggi
Luciano Moggi
Luciano Moggi is an Italian football managing director. He was the general director of Juventus F.C. from 1994 until May 2006, years that anointed him as one of the most successful football managing director except the last two club seasons that were involved in Calciopoli...
, then general director of Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
, had described Rosetti and his fellow colleague Pierluigi Collina
Pierluigi Collina
Pierluigi Collina is a former Italian football referee. He is still involved in football as non-paid consultant to the Italian Football Referees Association , and is a member of the UEFA Referees Committee...
as being too 'objective' in an intercepted telephone call. Moggi also claimed that Rosetti and Collina should be 'punished' for decisions made against Juventus in that same phonecall.
Rosetti emerged from the scandal unscathed.
2007-2008 UEFA Champions League
Rosetti was one of the many referees who officiated over the UEFA Champions League 2007–08UEFA Champions League 2007–08
The 2007–08 UEFA Champions League was the 16th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded in 1992, and the 53rd tournament overall....
. He refereed the semi-final between Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, earning the praise of UK television and radio commentators for his control of the game. Prior to the match, Liverpool coach Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
had noted that the home side tends to emerge victorious when Rosetti referees.
Euro 2008
Rosetti was selected to referee at UEFA Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria.At the tournament, Rosetti was the referee for the:
- group A opening game between Switzerland and the Czech RepublicCzech Republic national football teamThe Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
; - group D game between GreeceGreece national football teamThe Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
and RussiaRussia national football teamThe Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
; - Quarter Final match between CroatiaCroatia national football teamThe Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
and TurkeyTurkey national football teamThe Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA... - Final matchUEFA Euro 2008 FinalThe UEFA Euro 2008 Final was a football match that took place on 29 June 2008 at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria, to determine the winner of the UEFA Euro 2008. Spain defeated Germany 1–0 with a goal from Fernando Torres...
between GermanyGermany national football teamThe Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
and SpainSpain national football teamThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
.
2008-2009 UEFA Champions League
Rosetti was one of the many referees who officiated over the UEFA Champions League 2008–09UEFA Champions League 2008–09
The 2008–09 UEFA Champions League was the 54th edition of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 17th edition under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May 2009. It was the eighth time the European Cup final has been held in...
. He attracted criticism for sending off Manchester United's Darren Fletcher
Darren Fletcher
Darren Barr Fletcher is a Scottish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for English Premier League club Manchester United. He is the current captain of Scottish national team...
during the second leg of the semi-final between Manchester United and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Rosetti allegedly saw Fletcher clip the back heel of Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
, with Fàbregas falling in the penalty area. Replays later showed that Fletcher had touched the ball prior to fouling Fàbregas but he was still forced to miss the final. Nonetheless, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
refused to blame Rosetti afterwards, concluding that it was simply "terribly unlucky." Retired English World Cup referee Graham Poll
Graham Poll
Graham Poll is an English former football referee in the Premier League and is considered the best English referee of the last 25 years in a list maintained by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics...
has since suggested that the referee was right to issue a red card as the fact that Fletcher touched the ball while committing the foul was in fact irrelevant under FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
's revised law.
2010 World Cup
Rosetti was preselected as a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His first match of the tournament was a 1-1 draw between Ghana and Australia. Rosetti made a crucial decision in the game, when he judged Australia's Harry Kewell to have handled the ball on the goal line, contentiously awarding Ghana a penalty kick as well as sending Kewell off for the offence. In his post match comments, Australian coach Pim Verbeek claimed Kewell's handball was a mistake, saying it was impossible for him to get out of the way and the only way he could do so was to cut his arm off.The next game he refereed was the Argentina-Mexico game in the Round of 16, where he decided to allow an offside goal his assistant referee Stefano Ayroldi missed. The following day, Rosetti was left off the list of 19 referees announced by FIFA to take part in the rest of the competition although football's world governing body did not explain why. This decision affected Rosetti greatly and was the major reason behind his retirement.