In a period where there is a lot of talk about the internationalization  professional padel, it is striking to note that in  Premier Padel Finals  In Barcelona, ​​all the referees are Spanish, and exclusively men.

Of course, this is not about calling into question the skills of the Spanish referees present at this  Master Finals , the last tournament of the season which brings together the 16 best players in the world. However, one may wonder whether it would not have been more appropriate to allow  international referees , already active on the circuit  Premier Padel , to participate in this event.

Among the selected referees, we find in particular:  Marcos Villar ,  Federico Samper  et  Honorio Garcia , the latter having been at the heart of a controversy in Chile, although he remains a referee recognized for his qualities. The idea is not to criticize the value or skills of the referees present, but rather to emphasize that a circuit that wants to be  international  could have diversified its choices, even if the majority of the players in competition are Argentinian or Spanish.

Underutilized panel of international referees

 Premier Padel  and the  International Federation of Padel (FIP)  have a panel of competent referees, who have officiated throughout the year at different tournaments. We are thinking in particular of the French  Florian Couturier ,  Benoit Varin , and  Mounir Djaballah , to the Belgian  Peter Claeys , as well as to the Argentines  Gustavo Cueto  et  Jonathan Mansur . Other names like  Giuseppe Iacobucci ,  Valerio Polimanti , or  Eduardo Alfonsi  would also have deserved their place.

On the women's side, the number of international referees is even more limited. One more reason to highlight figures like the Italian  Virginia La Gata , whose presence would have sent a strong signal in favour of the  diversity made up of people from different backgrounds .

The Masters Tournament, a deserved reward?

Since it is about the  masters tournament , it seems legitimate that this event rewards the best referees, those who have been the most active and efficient throughout the season. But was this really the case here?

And what do you think, dear readers? Is this a missed opportunity to further promote the internationalization  and the  diversity made up of people from different backgrounds  in padel refereeing?

.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

On the same subject

Tags