Orsato became a
FIFA referee in 2010. He has served as a referee in qualifying matches for the
2014 World Cup and
Euro 2012. Orsato refereed group stage matches in the
2012–13,
2013–14, and
2014–15 UEFA Champions League competitions. In 2016, Orsato refereed the round of 16 match between
PSV Eindhoven and
Atlético Madrid in the
2015–16 UEFA Champions League. On 28 April 2018, he refereed Serie A match between
Inter Milan and
Juventus where some of his decisions was subject of much controversy including failed to show Juventus'
Miralem Pjanic a second yellow card. Orsato himself acknowledged the mistake years later. On 1 July 2018, Orsato was appointed a VAR referee for the
2018 FIFA World Cup match between
Croatia and
Denmark. On 12 February 2019, Orsato refereed the
UEFA Champions League round of 16 first-leg match between
Manchester United and
Paris Saint-Germain. He gave out 10 yellow cards (six for United and four for Paris Saint-Germain) and sent off
Paul Pogba in the 89th minute. Orsato refereed the
2020 UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and
Bayern Munich. He also refereed the second leg of the 2021 UEFA Champions League semi-final between
Chelsea and
Real Madrid. In 2020, Orsato was awarded by
IFFHS as the best referee of that calendar year. On 20 November 2022, Orsato was appointed as the referee for the opening match of the
2022 FIFA World Cup between hosts
Qatar and
Ecuador. On 13 December 2022, Orsato refereed the World Cup semi-final between
Argentina and
Croatia where he came under fire by
Ballon d'Or winner and Croatia captain
Luka Modrić as "one of the worst" referees, describing his performance in that game as "a disaster". On 7 May 2024, Orsato refereed the second leg of the 2024 UEFA Champions League semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and
Borussia Dortmund where he earned praise for his performance on the night, especially his decision to award PSG a free-kick at the edge of the box when a penalty appeared to be the correct call. After the match, Orsato was seen burst into tears at full-time which later confirmed he will retire in the summer after
UEFA Euro 2024. On 2 June 2024, he refereed his last match in Serie A,
Atalanta vs
Fiorentina which ended with Fiorentina winning 2-3. In the summer of 2024, Orsato was included in the expert referee commission of the
Russian Football Union, but a week later he refused this job. The referee initially explained his decision by ethical considerations, but then admitted that he was offered a more attractive position. He may head the Association of Italian Referees. == References ==