Officials' stamp of approval

Vast palette
Former international referees and a former international player joined forces with association presidents and UEFA vice-presidents within UEFA's Referees Committee on Wednesday to deal with the broad palette of issues that make up refereeing today. Those who think the job is merely about putting referees' names to matches are way off the mark

Tasks and duties
Chaired by UEFA and FIFA vice-president and Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Ángel María Villar Llona, the committee, among other things, appoints referees for the UEFA competitions, in cooperation with the UEFA administration; evaluates and ranks referees and referee observers into categories; conducts a development programme to instruct and educate the referees, assistant referees, futsal referees, beach soccer referees, referee instructors and referee observers, in order to ensure the correct, uniform and consistent application of the FIFA/International Football Association Board (IFAB) Laws of the Game; identifies and supports promising international referees; represents UEFA towards its member associations on refereeing matters; develops refereeing in the UEFA member associations through the implementation of the UEFA Convention on Referee Education and Organisation; and, last but certainly not least, studies proposed amendments to the Laws of the Game.

Much to discuss
It is a comprehensive and demanding list of duties to ensure that European referees remain among the most respected in the world. "We have a lot of tasks, and we work hard," says Villar Llona. "For example, during our latest meeting, we talked about the UEFA winter referees' course in Cyprus, the preparation of futsal referees, European referee instructors and their education, courses for women referee observers, the forthcoming 'talents and mentors' seminar, how to improve the standards of referees just joining the international scene - and, of course, preparations for UEFA EURO 2008™. There's much to discuss!

Good balance
"From my own experience, it's important to have excellent former international referees - they are the technical members of the committee, former big refereeing names - but we also have sports-political members - association presidents and UEFA vice-presidents - and this gives a good balance, helping us to reach objectives for refereeing development in Europe," Villar Llona added.

Crème de la crème
UEFA and its 53 national associations can be proud of the conveyor belt of fine men and women referees that have reached the summit over the years, taking charge of major world and European finals. "They prepare very well, their national associations prepare them very well, and UEFA is the 'crème de la crème' in terms of nurturing European international referees," says Villar Llona. "We also have top-level competitions in Europe, there is a lot of pressure, but good resources, material and people are available to help referees - if you put all these elements together, this is why European standards are so high."

Better than before
How has refereeing changed since Villar Llona himself was a player with Athletic Club Bilbao in the 1970s, winning 22 caps for Spain? "It's changed very much, and for the better," he stressed. "Physical preparation and technical knowledge are better, mental preparation is better - there are psychologists to help referees now. There are more competitions of a high level - and today, referees are athletes! When I was playing in Spain, I can remember referees who were small and rotund!" Mental strength and experience, he says, help stand any modern referee in good stead.

Developing a passion
Around Europe - and a good number of today's top referees have followed this path - there are youngsters who may not be the best footballers, but who want to be involved in the game. Refereeing is one option - and Villar Llona urges people to take on the task. "If [people] start refereeing, they are going to develop a passion that will stay with them, they will develop their character. They will travel, meet people and make friends, train their bodies and minds - and every four years, one of them will referee a European Championship final."