AUSTRIA: SOCCER - Rosetti says he's ready to referee "extraordinary moment" of Euro 2008 final

Record ID: 376464

  • Title: AUSTRIA: SOCCER - Rosetti says he's ready to referee "extraordinary moment" of Euro 2008 final
  • Date: 30th June 2008
  • Summary: WIDE VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM AS ROSETTI, GRISELLI AND CALCAGNO ENTER ALESSANDRO GRISELLI (LEFT), ROBERTO ROSETTI (CENTRE) AND .PAOLO CALCAGNO (RIGHT) SEATED AT HEAD TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROBERTO ROSETTI, EURO 2008 FINAL REFEREE, SAYING: "We are preparing for tomorrow's game in the best possible way, with great commitment and passion. We have done our best so f
  • Embargoed: 15th July 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA9PBL5Y9ZSHCPKPEAN7CFEH7ZU
  • Story Text: As the Euro 2008 trophy is put on display in Vienna, the man who will referee the match say players must show respect to their opponents, officials and their teammates because their attitude is an example for millions of young people.
    Italy's Roberto Rosetti said on Saturday (June 28) being in charge of the Euro 2008 final between Germany and Spain was an honour for all Italian referees and that his team of officials have prepared for the task with passion.

    "We are preparing for tomorrow's game in the best possible way, with great commitment and passion. We have done our best so far and now we are about to live this extraordinary moment of tomorow's final of the EURO 2008 in Vienna," Rosetti told a news conference in Vienna.
    Rosetti and his assistants are set to become the first match officials to take charge of both the opening game and the final at a European Championship.
    The Italian game was hit by a scandal in 2006 when clubs were found guilty of trying to procure favourable referees but Rosetti, 40, said he did not look on his appointment as a chance to restore the reputation of the country's officials.
    Instead, he said he would look to the players to provide good examples of sportsmanship to all the young players who look up to them.

    "The players who will tomorrow play in such an important international competition should try to respect their opponents as well as referees and their fellow teammates, because only if they respect all of these three components will they respect themselves," Rosetti said.

    "I am deeply convinced that the players who are going to play tomorrow night are heroes for many young people. They are icons. They are symbols and clearly their attitude is a very important example for millions and millions of young people," he added.
    After refereeing Czech Republic's 1-0 win over co-hosts Switzerland in Euro 2008's opening game, Rosetti then presided over Russia's 1-0 group stage victory against Greece and Turkey's quarter-final penalty shootout victory over Croatia.
    But he said both Germany and Spain deserved to be playing for the trophy.

    "Above all they have shown during the competiton that they deserved to get to the final," Rosetti said, adding that he was studying the characteristics of the two teams and the players.
    Rosetti, a Turin-based hospital administrator who towers above many players with his 1.90-metre tall frame, gained his first experience at a major international tournament as a last-minute replacement at the 2006 World Cup.
    He took charge of four matches at the German tournament, including France's 3-1 victory over Spain in the last 16.
    UEFA appoint referees for the latter stages of the tournament based on their nationalities and their previous performances.
    Rosetti only became available for Sunday's final following Italy's quarter-final elimination to Spain, a result that ended the chances of Spanish referee Manuel Mejuto.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register