Rugby Europe is pleased to announce the appointment of Carlo Damasco as its new Referee Manager, effective immediately.
Carlo joins Rugby Europe with an outstanding international reputation and comes with the highest recommendation from the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR), where he has been a central figure in referee development and high-performance pathways for more than a decade. FIR has described Carlo as one of Italy’s most accomplished refereeing figures, highlighting his leadership, technical excellence and deep commitment to the values of the game.
As an elite international referee, Carlo officiated at two Rugby World Cups, - RWC 2007 in France and RWC 2011 in New Zealand, alongside appointments in Six Nations, Tri-Nations, major Test Matches and Europe’s top club competitions. Beyond his on-field career, he is a World Rugby Educator and Trainer, widely respected for his ability to translate elite performance standards into sustainable referee development structures.
Carlo will continue and build upon the strong foundations established by Joël Dume. With over 200 referees involved in Rugby Europe competitions and numerous referee education workshops delivered each season, Joël’s work has been instrumental in shaping the refereeing structures, pathways and standards that Rugby Europe benefits from today.
Carlo will begin his role immediately and will already be involved this coming weekend at the Rugby Europe Super Cup Finals in Amsterdam, marking the start of his work with Rugby Europe’s match officials and competitions teams.
Carlo Damasco said: “Working across 49 member unions, each with its own rugby culture, is both a great honour and a significant professional responsibility. My focus will be on supporting collective growth at all levels, while respecting the identity of each nation. I would like to thank the Rugby Europe Leadership for the trust placed in me, and to pay tribute to Joël Dumé for the outstanding work he has done.”
Jens Aage Skare Nielsen, Interim CEO of Rugby Europe, added: We are delighted to welcome Carlo to Rugby Europe. His extensive experience and deep understanding of the international game make him ideally placed to build on the strong foundations established by Joël Dume together with our member unions. I would like to sincerely thank Joël for his contribution and warmly welcome Carlo to the team.”
Rugby Europe warmly welcomes Carlo and looks forward to his contribution to the continued professionalisation and development of refereeing across the continent.
