Fábio Melo is the referee who will direct, this Saturday, the match between Sporting and Vizela, in Alvalade, but, for now, he should be refereeing in the II Liga, if the Arbitration Council of the Portuguese Football Federation had maintained the criteria of recent years. This is stated by Marco Ferreira, a former soccer referee, in statements to the TSFreferring to the fact that the exchange “is normal, but it is a ridiculous situation”.
Marco Ferreira recalls that the main referee for the match between Sporting and Vizela “was out for many months and, if the Arbitration Council had followed the criteria of recent years, Fábio Melo, at this time, would not be a referee in the I Liga” .
It should be remembered that André Narciso was appointed to referee the match in Alvalade, but ended up injured and was “transferred” to the position of video referee in that match, exchanging positions with Fábio Melo, who was transferred to VAR for that match. .
In this interview to TSFthe former referee explains that “Fábio Melo spent most of last season injured”.
“A priori, taking into account what is in the regulations and what has been the criteria of the Arbitration Council of the Portuguese Football Federation, a referee who remains unclassified at the end of the season is demoted.”
The situation becomes ridiculous because this relegation “did not happen to Fábio Melo, because he was injured and because he was not classified, and now, curiously, he has been designated for VAR and will replace André Narciso who, due to injury, cannot play the game as main referee.
In the referees’ final ranking for the 2022/23 season, Fábio Melo appears at the bottom of the table, unranked, with Vítor Ferreira, just above the table, finally eliminated from the division, having recorded the score lowest end on the list
Source: TSF
