Fitness fillip for referees

By Pete Sanderson

New young UEFA referees were given an abrupt taste of life at the top of the European tree as the 14th UEFA Introductory Course for International Referees got under way on Monday.

Fitness tests
The 30 European officials, making their first tentative steps at international level after joining the UEFA list in 2005, began the first morning with a gruelling set of fitness tests. First came the Cooper Test, in which they have to run a minimum 2.7km in 12 minutes, and this was followed by a set of four sprints over 50 and 200 metres.

Pass masters
The results were extremely encouraging with all but one of the officials achieving the required distance on the Cooper Test and one referee pulling up with an injury in the sprints. Both men will be given the opportunity to prove their fitness in the coming months.

Greece lightning
But, just as in UEFA EURO 2004™, it was a Greek who went the furthest, completing one of the most outstanding runs by an introductory referee in the course's history. Ioannis Tsacheilidis was the man of the moment with a run of 3,450m, a distance which pleased UEFA physical trainer Werner Helsen enormously.

Good shape
"This year's crop of referees have all impressed me," said Helsen. "As soon as they walked in they all looked in good shape and the results of the fitness tests have only supported this. I was particularly impressed with Ioannis and his fellow frontrunners. We appear to be getting stronger at the top end of the Cooper Test with 20 of the 30 referees completing distances of over 3,000m - something we have never before achieved."

Flying Dutchman
Helsen was also pleased to see all but one of the officials come through the sprint tests, with Dutch referee Kevin Blom the quickest in both the 50m and 200m. Although the old tests are likely to be retained, FIFA and UEFA are eager to push the boundaries of physical testing with a new fitness test to be given a trial on Wednesday by a number of French referees.

New test
"It will be fascinating to see what the response is to the new fitness test," said Helsen. "It will add a new dimension to our testing of officials and it is perhaps more appropriate for the type of physical demands placed on referees because it tests high speeds and intermittent intensity runs."

Familiar faces
As a new generation set sail on a fresh refereeing voyage, the élite referees, who will be preparing for their forthcoming assignments in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, are due to arrive in Antibes on Wednesday for the 13th UEFA Advanced Course for élite and premier referees.