Italy-Malta refs' agreement to be signed on Saturday

Roberto Petronilli, the president of the Italian referees association (GUG), and Nello Russo, a council member of the Italian Swimming Federation (FIN), will be in Malta on Saturday to sign an agreement with the Aquatic Sport Association which will...

Roberto Petronilli, the president of the Italian referees association (GUG), and Nello Russo, a council member of the Italian Swimming Federation (FIN), will be in Malta on Saturday to sign an agreement with the Aquatic Sport Association which will enable Maltese refs to control matches in Italy.

The agreement was reached a few months ago after discussions between representatives of the ASA, the Malta Referees Waterpolo Association, FIN and GUG.

The principal aim of this partnership is for Maltese referees to gain more international exposure and raise their standards by taking charge of matches in official Italian competitions.

Under the terms of the agreement, which has already been approved by the councils of the ASA and FIN, Maltese referees will initially officiate matches in Sicily and may, in the long term, also receive appointments for fixtures in other parts of Italy.

Petronilli is a well-known ex-international referee. From 1986 to 2004, he refereed in various international competitions such as the Olympic Games, World Cup tournaments and Champions League matches.

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