Referees urged to build on EURO success

Ideal platform
The annual UEFA summer gathering for its leading match officials was an ideal platform for European football's governing body to give a resounding thumbs-up to the referees, assistants and fourth officials who performed in Austria and Switzerland in June; and who played a crucial role in nurturing the theme of respect UEFA is striving to promote among players, referees, officials and spectators.

Review and prepare
The match officials meet UEFA and its Referees Committee, comprising experienced former international arbiters, at the start of each campaign to review events in the previous club and national-team seasons, and to prepare for a tough term ahead – in charge not only of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup games, but also of FIFA World Cup qualifiers. They were given the best wishes of UEFA by third vice-president and Referees Committee chairman Angel María Villar Llona.

High-level performances
"I want to congratulate the 12 referees, 24 assistant referees and eight fourth officials who were at the EURO tournament," said Referee Committee member Volker Roth, who added that the officials had stood up to the challenge of replacing recently retired élite referees. "We had no Pierluigi Collina, Anders Frisk or Markus Merk, but you responded, your performances were great, and we are proud. We ask you to keep up this high level of performance."

Consistency and uniformity
Roth's committee colleague Vladimir Sajn said the referees at UEFA EURO 2008™ had followed the instructions given to them on protecting players and the image of the game, and through their strong actions had achieved a new level of consistency and uniformity. "We were impressed," he said. "All of the participants – players, spectators and coaches – everyone knows now what can be expected." The assistant referees were praised in particular for their vigilance in making correct offside calls in very tight cases, and for the spirit of teamwork that had been the norm among the 12 refereeing teams.

Respect signal
The respect and positive attitudes that ran through the EURO tournament were also welcomed by UEFA's refereeing family. Few refereeing decisions were contested, and harassment was negligible. "We could see there was respect among the players and towards referees," Roth said. "This is a big signal for football, because the game needs respect and cannot be successful without it."

Referees' contribution
Another Referees Committee member, Hugh Dallas, expanded on the theme. "Committee members spoke to the teams – players and coaches – before the competition started, telling them what the referees would not accept. The fact the referees were strong and carried out instructions made it easier for the players. I think the tournament was successful because of the referees as well, and we must make sure we continue this for a very important campaign."