Innovations aid Maltese officials

By Domenic Aquilina

On 23 January this year, 23-year-old Esther Farrugia made history in Malta as she became the first female assistant referee to officiate at a Premier League match when she took up the flag for the game between Saint Patrick FC and Msida St. Joseph FC.

Momentous occasion
For Farrugia, whose father Ronnie Farrugia was a former FIFA assistant, it was a momentous occasion. As she told uefa.com at the time: "It just felt good. As always I was tremendously concentrated on what I was doing and it all went well in the end."

Important ambition
Farrugia has been refereeing since March 1997, and it is a mark of her ambition that she is aspiring to reach the same level as her father, who she cites as her main source of refereeing inspiration. "Reaching the level of FIFA assistant referee level would be stupendous," she said.

Right credentials
While female officials remain something of a novelty, the Maltese refereeing establishment can certainly see no reason to stop Farrugia achieving her goals. "Esther has shown that she has got all the credentials to be appointed at top local fixtures," said Malta Football Association referees chief Tom A. Restall.

Upholding standards
"She has performed her duties so well that I am sure she has the potential to become the first Maltese lady to be nominated for the Women's FIFA International Referees panel," added Restall, whose department has been putting in plenty of effort to uphold standards in Maltese refereeing.

Referees conference
In July last year, the referees' department staged a special four-day seminar at the conference hall at the Centenary stadium, as a means to keep Maltese officials up to speed with all of the latest rules, practices and instructions from UEFA and FIFA.

Guest speaker
Restall himself hosted the conference, with referees, assistants and match inspectors from all over the island in attendance. The late Reidar Bjørnestad, head of the referees' department of the Norwegian Football Association and a former UEFA Referees' Committee member, also addressed the officials.

Young hopefuls
Another seminar took place between 7 and 10 July this year with FIFA referees' instructor Manuel López Fernandez addressing the delegates. In addition to this meeting for senior referees, the department has also been conducting regular courses for young officials as they aim to teach good practice to the next generation. And in Chris Lautier, the young officials may have an example to follow.

Lautier success
Lautier was one of the referees who passed the Cooper Run test at the recent European referees meeting in France to confirm his recent appointment as a FIFA referee, and two other Maltese officials - Joseph Attard and Anton Zammit - are making good progress on the UEFA talents programme.

Talent programme
As part of a campaign to teach good practice to future international referees, Attard and Zammit have been in regular contact with a refereeing mentor, and have been training in accordance with individual plans laid down by UEFA medical director Werner Helsen.

Clean bill
The Belgian fitness expert has pronounced himself satisfied with the progress of both of the Maltese officials, and with Farrugia's progress and Lautier's successes, it seemed that Maltese refereeing in general can be given a more than clean bill of health.