Italian Referees Association in chaos after 13-month ban for chief

Antonio Zappi, the President of the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA), has been suspended for 13 months after pressuring Serie C and D figures, but will stay in his role anyway.

The bizarre situation unfolding leaves the organisation in charge of Italian referees in disarray.

The National Federal Tribunal today fully accepted the proposed punishment of a 13-month ban requested by the FIGC Prosecutor.

Zappi was accused of putting undue pressure on former Serie C designator Maurizio Ciampi and ex-Serie D designator Alessandro Pizzi to resign from their positions in December 2024.

This was so that he could bring in their replacements and move them into new roles, but as their contracts were still running, he urged them to resign instead.

The whole situation was even stranger because the ex-AIA associate who initially brought the matter to the FIGC Prosecutor later denied he’d done so, claiming his identity was stolen, but the evidence was used anyway to begin the investigation.

Zappi remains in his role, because this is only the first level of judgment and he will lodge an appeal, but is at the same time not able to actually perform any of his duties during the ban.

The leadership of the AIA is therefore currently in the hands of his assistant Francesco Massini awaiting the appeal.

Zappi insisted he had “acted rigorously and consistently in the interests of the Association, with the mandate to renew the organisation.”