Sunday, January 4 th, 2015
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Too many calls: how Italian referees created a rift between Serie A and Premier League
"Italian teams struggle in Europe because their pace is slower compared to the EPL and UCL." This is a common theory among experts in Italy, but is it true? According to our research yes, as Italian referees call an average of 10 more fouls per game
by Niccolò Misul and John Cavenaghi
"The pace of Italian teams is too slow, that's why they always fail in the Champions League". This is the most popular theory at the moment to explain the negative period for Serie A clubs in European competition. This season has been characterized once again by very poor performances by the Italian sides, with only Juventus still fighting for silverware in the Europa League. This undoubtedly highlights the relentless decline of quality of the once glorious Serie A.


We have a problem, so - at least - it is worthwhile trying to understand if that popular theory is just fiction, or if it contains a grain of truth. They say that Italian games are too slow, and that Serie A clubs suffer when playing a side that quickens the pace. It is especially interesting when you consider that not long ago Premier League clubs were struggling to reach the Champions League final, and they were deemed unsuccessful in Europe because they attempted to play a fast, all-action English style in an international environment where it just would not work. Is this trend only characterised by the renowned Italian defensive approach to the game, or are there other reasons that go beyond the game style? For example, does the style of Italian refereeing influence the pace of the game? In fact, what many pundits and football experts often highlight, when commentating on European competitions, is the big difference in the style of refereeing between different leagues.


If we analyse the statistics, it’s pretty clear how rigorous Italian referees are: an average of 32 fouls are awarded per game in the Serie A, against the average of 27 in the big five European leagues, and with a percentage rate 15.32 higher than the Champions League (see infographic below). However, the difference becomes more significant when we compare with the Premier League. In fact, an average of only 22 fouls per game are awarded in the English top competition, 20.36% less than in a Champions League game.

 


The stats show an excessive punctiliousness of Italian referees, which can be also observed in the number of yellow cards given out during a game. If, in the Premier League, the number of bookings rarely goes beyond three (3.21, with 6.89 fouls per yellow card), in the Serie A almost five yellow cards (4.84, 6.61 fouls per yellow card) are given out per game, with only Spanish La Liga averaging higher (5.15).


The situation is similar where red cards are concerned: in this case, the Italian league has the highest rate of players sent off in Europe, 0.29 per game, against 0.23 in the Champions League, and the impressive 0.15 in the Premier League. This, clearly, drastically influences the pace of the game: in a Serie A game the playing time between fouls is unlikely to be more than 1:45 minutes, 17 seconds less (-14%) than the average of the other European leagues, and even 45 seconds less than an average Premier League game (-40%). All these data show that the majority of the leagues in Europe have a similar refereeing standard.


In particular, according to the statistics, the Bundesliga, the Ligue 1 and La Liga seem to conform to the Champions League and Uefa standards for what concerns fouls and bookings, with the only exception being the Spanish league, where the number of yellow and red cards given out remains much higher. On the other hand, the Serie A and the Premier League represent the absolute opposites. The games in Italy turn out to be fragmented, slow and consequently often boring to watch. 


Moreover, this refereeing system supports and facilitates all those players who cunningly let themselves fall to the ground as soon as they are touched by the opponent. Football and its tactics have developed throughout the years, and the game is now undoubtedly faster and more physical. Consequently, viewers and fans are getting used to this kind of game and they don’t want it interrupted too frequently by the referee’s whistle. Here stands one of the reasons of the rising popularity of leagues such as the English in recent years.


Despite what numbers show, blaming the Italian refereeing style as one of the reasons for the struggles of Italian sides in Europe would be simplistic and probably naïve. The truth is that the quality of the entire football system has drastically decreased in the last ten years, and these misfortunes are the logical consequences of this trend. However some changes to the way Italian referees manage the game can and have to be done, in order to bring the game to a higher lever of entertainment and maybe obviate to the frequent lack of stars on the field able to bless the game with their skills.


And who knows, this could also help reversing the negative trend of Serie A teams in Europe…

 

 

Tuesday, April 15 th, 2014
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