Referees avoid Napoli matches over retaliation fears

Italian referee Marco Guida revealed that neither he nor his colleague Fabio Maresca, both born in Campania (southern Italy), whose capital is Naples, officiate Napoli due to the potential consequences.

"I live in the city of Naples. I have three children, and my wife runs a business. It's a personal decision. I have to pick up my children in the morning, and I want to be at peace," Guida said on Radio CRC.

In 2023, Serie A abolished the territorial limitation rule for referees. This means that any referee, regardless of the city they were trained in, can now officiate any team – something not allowed in countries like Spain.

Guida, who is also a FIFA international referee with experience in the Champions League, was born in Pompeii, while Maresca hails from Naples. Together, they decided not to put their private lives at risk by officiating the team from the city where they currently live.

"I'd like to be transparent about this issue. We're professionals. Fabio Maresca and I could referee in Naples with peace of mind, and we likely will in the future. But we decided not to do so now because football is experienced differently here compared to other cities like Milan," he explained.

"We (Neapolitans) live football with a lot of emotion, and when I made mistakes, it wasn't always safe to walk down the street or go shopping. Just thinking about missing a penalty and not being able to leave the house for two days to go about my daily activities doesn't allow me to feel at ease," he added.

Last Sunday, a 19-year-old referee was assaulted in Sicily while officiating a Sub-17 match, an incident Guida strongly condemned.

"I want to send a warm hug to Diego (the assaulted referee) on behalf of our entire referees' association. What he experienced was a cowardly and disgusting attack," he stated.

Guida placed much of the blame on the media: "It's the media and the newspapers that portray referees as the enemy figure to insult. I can't watch a match where the parents of the children playing on the field are insulting the referee, a child the same age as their own children."

"These young referees earn 30 euros per game, just enough for a pizza, and they do it out of passion and respect for the rules, hoping one day to be professionals in Serie A," he concluded.