July 8 – Former Italian referee Domenico Messina has been appointed President of the Referees’ Commission of the Football Association of Serbia (FSS). The Italian signed a contract worth €300,000 and becomes the first foreigner to hold a senior position in the FSS.
An official statement welcoming the Italian read: “By electing Domenico Messina, a man with extensive international experience, reputation and credibility, to the top position of the Referees’ Commission, the FSS continues on a clearly outlined path of reforming the entire refereeing organisation and improving the quality and integrity of refereeing in domestic competitions.”
FSS President Dragan Džajić added: “There have been many objections to refereeing over the years, and we decided on this move after much thought and joint consideration. We concluded that it would be best to appoint Domenico Messina, an expert in his field. This is a big step forward when it comes to Serbian football.”
In his introductory address to the media, Domenico Messina emphasised that he was honoured to have the opportunity to work in Serbia and stressed his determination to contribute to the progress of Serbian officiating with his knowledge, experience, and professional attitude.
“I am honoured to be here with you in this new personal challenge,” Messina said. “It is a great responsibility for me, because this is the first time that Serbia has hired a president of the Referees’ Commission from abroad. I feel a great responsibility and I will ensure that everyone in football – the Federation, the media, fans and other stakeholders are satisfied. I will do my best.
“My main goals are that I want to ensure the regularity of the championship. That is the primary goal of every referee in all countries – the best team must win the championship, and the worst team must be relegated. Referees must not have any influence on the outcome of the championship.
“Another thing, all my efforts I will invest in improving the skills of not only referees, but also assistant referees and referee observers, because no one mentions them when we talk about referees, but they are the trainers of the new generation. If we don’t work with them, we can’t have good players, coaches or referees.”
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