Farina admits Catania clanger Monday 11 February, 2008
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Referee Stefano Farina admits he was wrong to allow Esteban Cambiasso’s goal for Inter last night and explains why he skipped the ‘terzo tempo’.
Inter’s first goal in a 2-0 win over Catania at the Stadio Massimino was allowed to stand even though Cambiasso was in an offside position.
The Sicilian fans reacted by ironically cheering and chanting at referee Farina, who is now willing to concede that he made the wrong decision.
“Just now I have seen the Cambiasso goal on TV for the first time and I have no problem saying that I made a mistake,” the respected official said on Rai.
After the game, Farina made another error when he left the field without waiting for the ‘terzo tempo’ ceremony that sees players and officials shake hands and is compulsory for referees.
“With hindsight, I don’t think that it was the wisest decision, but at that moment I thought it was right to behave like that,” Farina said.
“I share the desire for Fair Play as all referees are obliged to but straight after the final whistle I thought that I didn’t want to cause any further controversy by being there, so I left the pitch early.”Referee designator Pierluigi Collina also passed comment on last night’s events and restated his request for patience in the current crop of referees.
“It’s clear that our objective is to improve,” he maintained. “The group of referees is young and it’s only natural that there will be some mistakes, but I’m certain that with sacrifice and work things will get better.”
Channel 4