European refereeing mourns death of Giulio Campanati

The world of football, and the refereeing community in particular, have been in mourning since Giulio Campanati, former international referee and member of FIFA’s and UEFA's Referees Committees, passed away at the age of 88.

Campanati took charge of his first Italian Serie A match in 1952 and went on to handle 166 top-flight games until he retired to become a referee administrator in 1966. He had been an international referee from 1956, officiating at the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final second leg between FC Barcelona and Valencia CF in 1962 as well as two European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, in 1964 and 1966. He was also selected to referee at the Rome Olympic Games in 1960.
“It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of former FIFA Referees Committee member Giulio Campanati, whom I had the privilege of knowing personally and spending time with on several occasions at meetings, seminars and other FIFA competitions,” said FIFA President Joseph Blatter in a letter of condolence to Giancarlo Abete, his counterpart at the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). “In the name of the wider international football family and on my own behalf, I offer my most heartfelt condolences.”
The Italian referee served on the refereeing bodies at FIFA and UEFA between 1968 and 1990. He officiated in 18 international matches between 1956 and 1966, and was also as President of the Italian Referees Association from 1972 to 1990. “I will always remember Giulio not only as a great referee, a competent and passionate administrator, and a respected match and referee inspector, but also as a man of authority and character who left his mark on Italian refereeing and contributed to the development of refereeing at European and global level,” added the FIFA President. “I would be very grateful if you could communicate all my sympathy and support to the family and friends of Giulio Campanati during this time of great sadness.”
Giulio Campanati was awarded the UEFA Order of Merit in Ruby in 2000.

Source: FIFA