Former referee Tommasi chosen as interim Serie A refereeing designator

Former referee Tommasi chosen as interim Serie A refereeing designator

Former referee Dino Tommasi has been assigned as the interim Serie A and B refereeing designator for the rest of the season after Gianluca Rocchi suspended himself.

The scandal erupted last week when it was confirmed that designator Rocchi had been placed under formal investigation for sporting fraud.

In the wake of that situation, he decided to suspend himself while the investigation plays out, so a replacement was needed for the rest of the current campaign.

Tommasi chosen to replace Rocchi

GENOA, ITALY – JANUARY 27: Referee Dino Tommasi signals a foul during the Serie A match between UC Sampdoria and Pescara at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on January 27, 2013 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

The job has gone to Tommasi, a former referee from Bassano del Grappa who will turn 50 next month.

Following his Serie A debut in March 2008, he put together 52 top flight appearances, then went into management.

The refereeing designator assigns officials to the individual games in Serie A and B, and then helps evaluate their performances after the matches.

The better a referee performs, the more likely they are to be given big fixtures.

Among the accusations against Rocchi was that he assigned referees who were ‘preferred’ by Inter to certain matches rather than ones the club disliked.