Expert guidance for tomorrow's top refs

While Europe's leading referees prepare for UEFA EURO 2008™ in Austria and Switzerland in June, the match officials hoping to follow in their distinguished footsteps, along with promising women referees, are being watched over with a careful eye by UEFA.

Expert guidance
Under the UEFA talents and mentors programme, up-and-coming match officials are given expert guidance by experienced former European referees to help them in their preparations for what will hopefully be a successful career in continental football. UEFA is bringing the young referees and their guides together on a regular basis, with the latest occasion being the eighth UEFA talents and mentors seminar at UEFA headquarters in Nyon between 6 and 8 May.

Experience and wisdom
UEFA is of the view that, in the same way that young footballers need the advice of seasoned or former professionals, so young referees can benefit from the wisdom of colleagues who have served as match officials at the highest levels. The programme began in 2001 and has already borne considerable fruit with many graduates going on to take charge of big European games.

Three at EURO
A total of 139 talents have been groomed since the scheme started, representing 50 UEFA member associations. Three former talents will be in action at UEFA EURO 2008™ – Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium), Massimo Busacca (Switzerland) and Howard Webb (England ) – while seven of the eight fourth officials selected for UEFA EURO 2008™ duty are also former talents.

Constant contact
The mentors remain in constant contact with their referees by email or phone, and by either visiting them or inviting them to the mentors' respective countries. Their discussions focus on on-field performances as well as on matters such as diet, social and private conduct and improving communication in English, which is now the common language of refereeing at UEFA level.

Practice and theory
This latest seminar will combine practical and theoretical parts as well as a training session taken by UEFA's referee fitness expert Werner Helsen. The talents will receive an update on UEFA's recent instructions to European referees, and UEFA Jira Panel member and experienced coach Erich Rutemöller will provide an insight into referees' tactical preparation for a match – given that the modern-day arbiter not only has to be an athelete, but should also have tactical awareness as part of his armoury.

Mental strength
In addition to top physical fitness and acute tactical know-how, mental strength is essential to the modern match official, considering the stakes at play in the élite game. Swiss sports psychologist Mattia Piffaretti – a regular at UEFA refereeing gatherings – will be focusing on the elements that help a referee take the right decisions under intense pressure, as well as in the face of scrutiny by the public and media. The talents and mentors will get the opportunity to exchange experiences and will also hear about the referees and their activities at UEFA EURO 2008™.

The refereeing talents attending the seminar are: William Collum (Scotland), Gardar Orn Hinriksson (Iceland), Albert Toussaint (Luxembourg), Lee Evans (Wales), Alexey Kulbakov (Belarus), Alexei Nikolaev (Russia), Istvan Vad (Hungary), Dejan Filipovic (Serbia), Sascha Kever (Switzerland), Peter Rasmussen (Denmark), Babak Guliyev (Azerbaijan), Hannes Kaasik (Estonia), Cüneyt Çakir (Turkey), Aleksandar Stavrev (F.Y.R. Macedonia), Marcin Borski (Poland), Robert Schérgenhofer (Austria).

Women's programme: Florence Guillemin (France), Kirsi Savolainen (Finland), Teodora Albon (Romania), Esther Staubli (Switzerland).

Elite talent group: Martin Atkinson (England), Felix Brych (Germany), Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).