Salvatore Lombardo featured in new Rai documentary on football refereeing

The documentary ‘Arbitro. Dal fischietto al VAR’, written and directed by Maurizio Pizzuto, explores the history and human dimension of football refereeing in Italy. Produced by Comunikapp in collaboration with Rai Documentari, the 53-minute film examines the evolution of the profession from an era of purely visual decision-making to the modern use of video assistant technology.

Salvatore Lombardo, a notary from Marsala and former president of the Associazione Italiana Arbitri (AIA), is a central figure in the documentary. Lombardo provides a dual perspective, drawing on his experience as a referee in Serie A and Serie B, as well as his institutional role leading the Italian refereeing movement. The film highlights the parallels between his legal profession and refereeing, noting the shared emphasis on rules and the weight of responsibility in decision-making.

The documentary also features historical context, tracing the legacy of iconic figures such as Concetto Lo Bello and utilizing archival footage to illustrate the challenges faced by referees before the advent of modern communication and replay technologies.