Obituary – ERC Honorary President Luciano Gaspari

It is with very deep sorrow that the European Volleyball family has learned of the passing of Luciano Gaspari, a legendary international referee, former President of the European Refereeing Commission (ERC), of which he was made Honorary President in 2020, and a very close friend to many. Gaspari passed away on Wednesday afternoon in his native Ancona after a long illness. 

His international career had started in 1986 when he attended an International Referee Candidate Course organised in Schwerin, East Germany, and for many years Luciano represented a role model and real reference for the whole refereeing community, combining leadership skills with an always friendly demeanour, thereby winning the respect of players and coaches alike as well as the hearts of many friends and colleagues. Gaspari officiated matches of the Italian national league for some 30 years, starting in 1977, thereby overseeing dozens of title-deciding games and becoming a familiar face to many fans. The highlight of his career was certainly his participation in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. 

His total passion and dedication did not diminish even while battling a severe illness – as he continued to follow the evolution of the refereeing community even from afar, observing matches via the Internet or on TV and sharing his extensive knowledge of the game with younger colleagues and the many people he was able to mentor throughout the years. As President of the European Refereeing Commission (ERC) from 2015 to 2020, Luciano initiated a real revolution in the way European referees would see and understand their role – as he always reminded those listening to him, the ideal referee would be an almost ‘invisible’ official, whose presence was not to be felt and who would be able to manage even the most tense moments of a match with a calm, friendly, down-to-earth attitude. 

Luciano so much lived and breathed Volleyball that he was able to pass his passion on to his children, to the point that son Marco has become a renowned coach and the reigning Club World champion at the helm of Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI. 

Luciano will be sorely missed and remembered for his vision, dedication, sense of humour, but most of all for the warmth he was able to spread, making everyone feel at ease, understood, and respected. The most heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Irene, who accompanied him with total commitment throughout his long illness, his sons, relatives and friends from across the Volleyball family and further beyond. May he rest in peace.