Interview with Daniele Curcio CEO of Referee Abroad

We were able to interview Daniele Curcio, who is the CEO and President of Referee Abroad. Referee Abroad is a non-profit organization which unites referees through international tournaments all over the world. The referees will get more refereeing experience and meeting new cultures both on and off the pitch.

- Hi Daniele. Tell us more about who you are?

- Oh, that’s a big question (haha). First of all, everyone calls me Daniel, I’m from Italy and in Italian it’s Daniele. I was a referee when I was younger, I started in 2003 when I was 17 years old. I’ve never refereed at very high levels, only at local level, and enjoyed it. As you already know refereeing is my life, both then and now, that I travel the world thanks to refereeing and Referee Abroad.   

- Tell us more About Referee Abroad? What is it? How did it all start?

- I was studying economics at Bocconi university in Milan, of one of Europe’s best business schools. I’d always had a keen interest in sports and travelling and one day, speaking with a neighbor who was a football player I heard about the Dana Cup, an international football tournament he took part to in Denmark. As an active referee I thought it would be amazing to referee there so I reached out to them and asked to go, they invited me to go there in 2005. That year I decided to go to other tournaments as well, one in Scotland and one in Norway. There, I met referees from all over Europe and got to know of other events, I quickly realized that there were many tournaments all around the world but referees simply didn’t know about them. That’s how Referee Abroad started, to connect referees with international tournaments and let them live the same experience I did in 2005. 

- What is Referee Abroad today?

- It started as a small group of friends going to international tournaments but we’ve grown a lot since then. Today we manage referees in 32 international tournaments in 16 different countries and count on the presence of referees from 70 different nations at our tournaments. We call ourselves the “Erasmus project of refereeing”. A referee normally gets international exposure only when he gets to FIFA level but we aim at offering them that well before they become professional. Taking part to international tournaments is a very important part of a referee’s development. It helps them get better. Referee Abroad focuses a lot on referee development, this is why we also invite observers, coaches and mentors to our tournaments, many of whom are current or former FIFA and UEFA referees. I’m very proud of what we have achieved in the past few years.

- You have met a lot of referees. Both Elite and Amateurs. Both young and old. Do referees have something in common as a person?

- Yeah, I have met a lot of them. First of all, I would like to mention Peter Fröjdfeldt who was the first international and professional referee who helped us, attending tournaments as a mentor when he was a UEFA observer . I am very grateful to him for that! With that said I meet different referees from all over the world every year, as you said. Both young and old, elite and amateurs. I see different characters and cultures from so many countries. It’s very interesting they work and mix together. A great learning experience for all!

I think the most important quality for a referee is the ability to adapt. To adapt to different players, different matches, different days during week, different moods, even different moments and situations during the same game. A calm and easy match needs one type of a referee, but the “temperature” of a game can change at any moment, and the referee needs to be able to adapt and switch style. As Pierluigi Collina, the former FIFA referee, said “There is not a refereeing style that is perfect for any game, a referee has to develop an almost chameleon-like capacity to be able to adapt his own abilities to the requirements of the match.”

I would like to show this photo to you. From a first look it may look a refereeing photo like any other, referees and captains together before a game. There is more to that however. This photo is from a tournament in France, the Paris World Games in 2019. We have four referees with two captains. The incredible thing is that we have so many countries and continents on the same pitch. The referees are from Japan, Australia and France; the teams from Brazil and Syria. Imagine such a mix of cultures and refereeing styles, all working together. This is what makes international tournaments great. 

- Why is the role of a referee so important?

- We are the referees and without us you cannot play football. That’s the reason! There is an interesting thing if you look into history of refereeing. You can read all about it in the book “The man in black” by Gordon Thomson. You can read about how it all started in the beginning. When football was born, in the late 1800s in England, the referees were called umpires, they were not on the pitch but on the sidelines with sticks in their hands and, more importantly, they were members of the two clubs. They didn’t have a whistle either and they were not neutral. It all developed from there, the need to have a neutral person deciding and applying the laws of the game. That’s why the referee is so important in football.

- Imagine, I am a referee and I want to referee a tournament in a different country. Where do I find more info on how to join Referee Abroad?

- First of all, all referees of any age, background or level are welcome. Second, there are different ways to join Referee Abroad. Most referees however apply via our website, they can read about our events there and apply for those they prefer. Just visit www.refereeabroad.com

- They can also contact us on our social networks. We have both a Facebook and Instagram page both named “Referee Abroad”. There we share interesting info and news about the refereeing world and also about our tournaments. 

- How does a tournament work?

- Well referees pay for their own travel costs and a small participation fee and get free accommodation, food, local transport and a range of different development opportunities offered to them, from being observed by top-class referee observers, to meeting referees and coaches from all over the world, making new friends and learning from them.

- Refereeing Abroad is definitely an experience every referee, especially if young and eager to develop and become a better official should try!

- Thank you Daniele. Keep your excellent work with Referee Abroad up!

- Thank you.