Referees urged to stay hungry for success
Sonntag, 12. Februar 2023
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Europe’s leading referees set out on the second half of a challenging season with key words of advice accompanying them on their journey – “you’ve proved that you’re the best – but the past is the past.”
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Male and female match officials have been preparing for duties in UEFA’s major competitions at their annual advanced winter course in Rome. Assignments in the men’s UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League are on the agenda this coming week. The UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals follow in March, along with the men’s European Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2024.
For some referees, the memory of participation in the men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year will remain a vivid career highlight. The group from this continent represented Europe with considerable distinction.
The opening match was officiated by Italy’s Daniele Orsato, and Poland’s Szymon Marciniak took charge of the final between Argentina and France. Four of the seven closing matches in the tournament were refereed by European officials. In addition, France’s Stéphanie Frappart had the immense honour of becoming the first female referee to handle a match in a World Cup final round.
‘The best in the world’
However, UEFA chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti has asked all of the referees to focus firmly on the future. “It was totally normal at the start of the course in Rome that we should congratulate our referees at the World Cup, because they did a fantastic job,” he told UEFA.com. “There is clear evidence that Europe’s referees are the best in the world – and the vast majority of the leading referees in the important ranking lists are from this continent.”
“But the World Cup is in the past,” he emphasised. “What counts now is the present – the matches will come thick and fast in UEFA’s outstanding competitions. We must be in tune with the present to be able to work towards new targets.”
Refereeing culture the key
Rosetti explained that Europe’s refereeing culture was a major reason for the success and quality of UEFA’s match officials at home and abroad. “European football is of the highest quality, and the referees work very hard in tough European domestic competitions,” he said.
“And when they are on UEFA duty at matches or courses, we ask a lot of them. We are very strict, we are never satisfied – we always want more from them, and they respond to our demands. We’ve set amazing standards, and we want to maintain these standards in the future.”
Reality-based learning for referees
European referees are also benefitting from UEFA’s constant search for innovation in fitness training and education. At the Rome advanced course training session, the male and female referees undertook a challenging exercise combining physical work with perception and decision-making. They were asked to run 134m per lap at high intensity and change direction three times, before running up to a video screen to look at an incident, take a decision and communicate that decision. The referees covered two sets of 12 laps each.
The aim is to introduce reality-based learning into the training of top referees, as UEFA’s long-standing referee fitness expert, Belgian sports scientist Werner Helsen, explained:
“Games at the very highest levels are becoming faster and faster for referees,” Helsen said. “Not only physically, but also in terms of brain-thinking, perception and decision-making. We need to find new ways to expose the referees to a positive kind of stress on the training ground.”
Helsen described refereeing as a ‘practice poor’ environment. “When players play five-a-side football, for example, they practice their physical skills, technical skills and tactical skills – but when referees have practiced physically, there has been no link to the game. I’m also involved in UEFA coach education, and there we use the concept of reality-based learning – meaning that any training should always have a link with the game.”
“If we organise high-intensity training where referees only have to run, this is not like in a game, because in a game, they run to take decisions, they run to get into the correct position to take a correct decision.”
“We’re finding that referees prefer to do this new exercise, even if they run more high-intensity distance [3.216m] in this exercise than in the ‘Single-Double-Single’ test they did before [2.880m]. Because they now have to run to a screen in time, they are not thinking of the running – they’re thinking more about the decision that they need to take when they look at the screen. They’re happy with the exercise – what you now see is referees still working hard, but with a smile on their face!”
Discussion for development
Feedback and discussion between European referees and UEFA’s senior refereeing officers helps UEFA to further develop its refereeing activities – and the Rome event gave referees an ideal opportunity to talk with each other about the challenges of their job and how they view the future.
A vastly experienced team of UEFA experts with a wealth of knowledge were present in Rome – Rosetti was joined by referee officers Dagmar Damková, Björn Kuipers, Vlado Sajn and Carlos Vellasco Carballo, as well as a top-notch referee fitness team headed by Werner Helsen. “I’m pleased about the contact and environment we have,” Rosetti reflected. “There’s a close-knit relationship among the refereeing officers, there’s an attitude of respect that helps make our discussions fruitful.”
Referees contributed to the process of dialogue in practical sessions featuring video clips of incidents and situations from the first half of this season, and specific discussion groups saw the officials talk about, among other things, the future of refereeing and the introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR) system in recent times as a source of assistance to the referees in the on-field decision-making process.
VAR changing refereeing
“Refereeing is continuing to evolve every season, especially following the introduction of VAR,” Rosetti explained. “It’s bringing changes not only in terms of decision-making, but also in terms of mentality. Before VAR, referees had to be able to see and watch everything, because they didn’t get a second chance with decisions – but now they have crucial help thanks to VAR, particularly in the case of a clear or obvious mistake.”
VAR’s assistance to match referees has brought a positive new dimension to refereeing. “We are satisfied about our ‘line of intervention [the moment when VAR can intervene]’, Rosetti said. "But we insist that we always want referees to show leadership on the field of play and take decisions on what they see – we don’t want them simply to wait for VAR to intervene.”
Drive for dialogue
UEFA is extremely keen to prevent referees being distant figures. Consequently, a drive for greater general footballing dialogue involving referees is underway – exemplified by UEFA refereeing officials meeting with the players and coaches of the participating teams ahead of recent men’s and women’s EUROs to outline technical instructions to referees, as well as to highlight what is expected of the teams and hear what teams expect of the match officials.
The specific desire for a closer relationship between referees and players was strengthened in Rome by the presence of five former leading male and female players – Robert Pirès (France), Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina), Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland), Fara Williams (England) and Tabea Kemme (Germany) – to express the players’ point of view about on-field situations, and to reinforce a learning process between referees and players that will hopefully bear important fruit in the future.
“It's very important that this kind of rapport with players should continue,” said Rosetti. “We must listen to their views. They know more about what players are thinking, what they are trying to achieve in any on-field situation, what they think about referees. We would eventually like to invite coaches as well – this is another part of football, and we must also learn from them. We must be integrated within football.”
Rosetti is particularly appreciating the opportunity to work together with Zvonimir Boban, the former Milan star and Croatian national-team captain who is now UEFA’s technical director and chief of football. “His attitude is fantastic,” said Rosetti, who enjoyed a distinguished refereeing career in Italy and beyond, taking charge of the UEFA EURO 2008 final.
“He enjoys discussing with and listening to the referees. He’s a great example for everybody. We first met each other on the field of play and were involved in a lot of matches together. We established feelings of mutual respect at that time – it’s always special when that kind of respect starts on the pitch – and now we are working together for UEFA with a common goal.”
A recurring theme for referees in the second half of the season will be to protect the players – and the image of football – by punishing reckless tackles which seriously endanger a player’s health. In turn, referees are being asked to continue cracking down on player dissent and incidents of ‘mobbing’ when several players surround a referee. “None of these situations are healthy for football,” Rosetti emphasised. “We don’t like to see them happen. Referees are expected to show correct game management in reacting to such situations.”
Female referees’ increased profile
Europe’s female officials are relishing their invaluable contribution to the success of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, which was given a new format and identity for the 2021/22 season. Some of them will see duty in the refereeing squad for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The female referees are also in contention to take charge of men’s club competition matches this spring.
“We were extremely proud that Stéphanie Frappart was chosen for the World Cup team,” Rosetti said. “She refereed very well and earned respect for her on-field leadership – she showed great personality. If other female referees can show similar qualities, they will certainly be considered for assignments in the men’s competitions.”
Keeping the desire and hunger
Having established their excellent reputation, Europe’s referees are being urged to continually show the desire and devotion that has taken them to the top. “We need, in our privileged position, to keep the passion for refereeing and hunger to get better,” Rosetti insisted. “Referees should never be satisfied. They can only succeed if they keep their feet on the ground – thinking about the next match and remaining dedicated in their tactical and technical preparation for matches.”
Now, as UEFA competition football resumes, Roberto Rosetti has reminded this talented generation of male and female referees never to stop striving for the highest summits – and to use their status as top UEFA referees to serve as role models. “If your life as a referee inspires other to dream more,” he said. “Then learn more, do more, become more.”