Italian referee Gabriele Scatena has broken his silence following his dismissal from the national refereeing body, delivering a powerful and emotional critique of what he calls a system that “first excludes you, then buys you.” Scatena, a respected official from the Avezzano section, took to LinkedIn with two strongly worded posts shortly after his removal was officially confirmed during a conference led by Antonio Zappi, outlining the Italian Referees Association’s (AIA) new structure for the upcoming season.
Having officiated nine matches across Serie B and the Coppa Italia in his first year at CAN, Scatena found his career abruptly cut short, ostensibly for technical reasons. However, his posts suggest a far more complex and troubling story. In his first message, he reflected on his two-decade journey in refereeing, describing it as one filled with sacrifice, passion, and authenticity. “Today I haven’t lost anything. I’ve just opened my eyes,” he wrote. “After 20 years of miles, whistles, sacrifices, and passion, I close a chapter, intense and authentic. It all happened in silence. But silence is never empty. Inside it are questions, choices, and words left unsaid. Sometimes, you lose a role but find a voice. And when that happens… there’s no going back.” He suggested this was not the end, but rather the beginning of a new chapter.
Later that day, he followed up with a more pointed and revealing post. “I’m not seeking revenge. I want the truth,” he wrote, before recounting the series of events that led to his dismissal. Scatena described being forced to “justify” a muscle injury that was certified by a public health doctor, only to be treated with scepticism by AIA officials. He claimed he was subjected to an unprecedented and irregular medical check without any formal regulation supporting such a measure. “No one in AIA had ever been treated this way,” he said, pointing out that the rules which were later introduced had already been applied to him unfairly. As of 1 July 2025, the AIA Medical Unit will be permitted to verify externally diagnosed injuries, and referees with less than one year of experience in CAN will be eligible for the VAR Pro course. “These rules came after,” he said. “But in my case, they were already in place.”
Despite being eligible to apply for the upcoming VAR Pro course, Scatena has chosen to decline. “I could still apply. I could accept the compromise, enter quietly, and pretend nothing happened. But I refuse. You cannot stay in a system that first excludes you, then buys you.” He ended his post with a resolute statement of purpose. “I’ve stayed silent for as long as I could. But at some point, silence becomes complicity. And I refuse to be complicit. If speaking up can save even one young referee from going through what I did, then that will be my Serie A.”
Scatena’s public declaration has raised serious questions about the internal practices of the Italian refereeing establishment. While the AIA has not yet responded, the fallout from these revelations is likely to cast a long shadow over preparations for the 2025–26 season. For Scatena, the matches may have ended, but his fight for transparency, fairness, and truth has only just begun.
