Referee is suspended after using TikTok to analyze decisions of professional colleagues

Italian referee Alessandro Iuliano received a two-year ban from his country’s referee federation. But the reason wasn’t an error on the field or anything like that. The 23-year-old has used his TikTok profile to explain football rules, show off part of his routine and even comment on decisions made by professional colleagues in the Italian Serie A. Known as Arbitrino on the platform, he has more than 200,000 followers.

Despite the success of the profile, however, the initiative violates one of the articles of the AIA code (Italian Association of Arbitrators). This prohibits professionals from making any public statement about their performance or internal technical details. There is still the limitation of never propagating information like this on websites and digital platforms.

The result: Iuliano is suspended from his role until June 2024. In May last year, he had already received a five-month punishment for the same reason. As he prepared to return in November, an update to the Association’s bylaws added another year and a half to his sentence.

The young man has been training to be a referee since 2016, and refereed in lower division matches. The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted football for some time. Just at that moment, he started his TikTok account, through the indication of a friend.

Now, your career may be in jeopardy. The AIA did not comment on the outcome of the case. The referee made a video showing that he understands the decision and that it is necessary to respect it. It is an article he was not aware of.

— I do not dispute the decision, because there is a regulation that speaks for itself — he declared.

Even with the suspension that will total two years, Alessandro Iuliano made another video and stated that he will not stop producing content on the digital platform:

— I decided to tell you what is happening to me, because it is certain that everyone knows how the world of referees is structured. There is still a barrier between fans and referees, which can finally be broken down with the internet. I know I’m seen as a problem. But I’m sure that tomorrow I can prove myself a precious asset.