Referees, D’Adamo: “The EURO is the pinnacle for the whole movement”

With his appointment for the final between Folgore and La Fiorita, Daniele D’Adamo had just wrapped up the Sammarinese futsal season and was already planning his usual summer break. Then came the call-up for the Women’s EURO Final Four, somewhat unexpected in terms of timing but perfectly in line with the “range” of a referee who belongs to UEFA’s First Category. So, no holidays, but a meticulous preparation geared towards the most prestigious experience not only of D’Adamo’s career, but of the entire refereeing movement linked to futsal in San Marino. Efforts to which the ASA match official willingly subjected himself and for which he was repaid with a wealth of satisfaction and emotions to be used as a springboard towards future goals. “We cannot deny that we have reached a new peak with this appointment. – admits D’Adamo – I use the plural because I’m not talking about myself, but about the entire futsal refereeing group. I’m the one who steps onto the court, but behind every one of my appointments there is the work of a team. That’s why I want to share my personal joy with Head of Section Massimo Nanni and with the rest of the Committee. All of us have worked to raise our level, and all of us share in these responsibilities, which have grown in parallel with the opportunities. This is what I always think: every achievement is also the beginning of something. I’m happy to have had this opportunity, truly happy, but for me it is already a starting point for new and even tougher challenges. As for the build-up to these Final Four, everything was sudden and fast. I thought my international season was over and I was getting ready to switch off, as I usually do after a demanding season, both physically and mentally. Instead, that was exactly the moment to start again. I worked hard from an athletic point of view under the guidance of our fitness coach and I studied as much as possible to arrive fully prepared. I’m talking not only about the Laws of the Game, but also about the teams and players I was going to deal with. I gathered as much information as I could, I attended the Italian Scudetto final, where some of the EURO protagonists were on court. Then, once I arrived in Gondomar, I tried to shake off any tension and threw myself into that adventure with energy and confidence.” That adventure for D’Adamo began with the Ukraine–Spain semi-final, the very first fixture of the mini-tournament that would crown the European champions. His second appointment was then the grand final between Spain and Portugal. A spectacular show all-round (after a 3-3 draw at the end of extra time, the match was decided on penalties, with Spain emerging victorious) and a powerful showcase for the sport. A showcase to which the refereeing team, led by Italian referee Chiara Perona with D’Adamo acting as Third Referee, made a by no means negligible contribution. “The whole tournament represented a huge step forward for me. – underlines the FSGC international – Spain and Portugal had met in the previous final as well and it was only natural that the match was expected to be ‘heated’. I was in charge of the benches and I certainly had my hands full, I won’t deny it. There was the feel of a healthy battle, great competitiveness, but without nastiness from anyone. There were a few celebrations that went a little over the top, yes, but everything remained within the bounds of decency. I believe the refereeing team was an integral part of the undeniable spectacle that this final managed to deliver. Sometimes one word less from the referee, replaced by a telling look, helps keep tempers in check and allows the game to flow, which of course is the core of the whole event. Chiara Perona, for whom I have enormous respect, and the Second Referee had a great game. And I think we who were working outside the field of play were also up to the situation. As referees we have various tools to command respect, but with the benches I chose to prioritise dialogue, and that choice paid off. For me it was a whirlwind of emotions, amplified by the awareness of being in front of a large number of spectators, both in the arena and – above all – watching from home. In the end I can say I am very proud of this experience.” Among the many storylines of the tournament, the Sammarinese futsal community paid particular attention to that of the Ukrainian national team. It was precisely in San Marino, in fact, that the yellow-and-blue squad had held the first stage of their preparations for the Gondomar Final Four. Their debut in the semi-final, the one refereed by D’Adamo, was not particularly happy. Quite different was the outcome of the third-place play-off against Hungary: there Ukraine won 2-1, stepping onto the podium and thus achieving the highest point in their European history. These were D’Adamo’s impressions: “On a personal level, I can say I saw a united group that always gave everything on the pitch. In the end they finished the tournament with a highly respectable, indeed historic, result, so I think the Ukrainian girls can feel satisfied with their campaign. The start was tough for them, but it’s also true that they were facing the reigning champions, who would go on to triumph again in the 2022 edition. The attitude of this team impressed me in a positive way. But what has stayed with me the most is a thought I had after the tournament was over. I thought about the fact that these girls would be forced to go back to living through the horrors of the war that is devastating their country. A very sad thought, which nonetheless confirmed for me even more the power sport has to pull us out of our difficulties and to give us precious moments even when everything else is not as it should be. The hope is that that kind of normality, namely the normality of sport, will prevail over the other so-called normality, the one none of us should ever accept as something to get used to.” Returning to the Gondomar tournament as a peak for the Sammarinese movement, there is no doubt that D’Adamo today is a reference point not only for current futsal referees, but also – and perhaps above all – for those who will come in the future: “I won’t deny it: I feel this responsibility. When I talk about my appointments I always refer to the group because that is genuinely the dimension in which I believe. We must all constantly strive to improve, but we must also grow our ranks. Recruitment is not easy and we need young referees to join us on our path and then take our place. Unfortunately, there are still some prejudices about futsal, but I can testify through facts that it is a discipline that offers great satisfaction and teaches you a lot. Many of the activities I carry out off the pitch, in my daily life, are shaped by my refereeing and influenced by the forma mentis that this sport gives you. I started refereeing when I was very young: I was 15, and today I am in my 25th year of activity. I have been on a long and sometimes tough journey, but one that has brought me to a point where I am happy with who I am. Happy but not satisfied: a referee, like any other sportsperson, is always driven by a competitive spirit aimed at achieving ever better results. That’s why I will continue to work to reach other goals, such as the highest rung of UEFA’s categories, just one level above the one I currently belong to. You need the right self-awareness and a lot of focus on your margins for growth.”

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