England vs Serbia referee had 'disaster' at World Cup which led to Lionel Messi glory
The referee for England's first game at Euro 2024 was called "a disaster" for his part in Argentina's successful World Cup campaign.
Daniele Orsato, the esteemed Italian official, is set to oversee the Three Lions' clash with Serbia in Gelsenkirchen for their Group C opener. The Euros represent Orsato's final bow in elite refereeing, as he plans to hang up his whistle post-tournament.
He was recently given a heartfelt farewell from domestic football, receiving a guard of honour and a standing ovation at his last Serie A game, Atalanta vs Fiorentina. However, despite those plaudits, Orsato came under fire for his officiating in the World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Croatia in Qatar.
Argentina, with Lionel Messi leading the way, cruised into the final following a 3-0 win, with Messi netting a penalty to open the scoring, complemented by Julian Alvarez's brace. But the decision to award the penalty sparked outrage from Croatia, culminating in the ejection of assistant coach Mario Mandzukic from the dugout.
After the match, Croatian star and ex-Spurs player Luka Modric tore into Orsato, branding him "one of the worst" and "a disaster". Real Madrid's midfield wizard vented: "Argentina were a fair winner of the match. They were better, they deserved to win, but these things have to be mentioned. I generally don't do them, but today they have to be done.
"I don't like to talk about referees, but this is one of the worst. I don't have a good memory of [Orsato], he's a disaster. For me, it wasn't a penalty. Despite this, I don't want to detract from Argentina. The penalty killed us."
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Daniele Orsato will take charge of England vs Serbia
Despite Modric and Croatia's grumblings, Orsato, who has been a FIFA-listed official since 2010, is regarded as one of Europe's top officials. He refereed the 2020 Champions League final between PSG and Bayern Munich and more recently, he officiated the Champions League semi-finals second leg between PSG and Borussia Dortmund.
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