Elite men's referees align ahead of the new season
Thursday, September 4, 2025
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An exciting new UEFA competition season is fast approaching – and Europe's top referees have been preparing every detail to ensure their performances are on a par with the quality of the action on the pitch.
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Our comprehensive programme helps ensure match officials are primed for challenging assignments in the months ahead, and the annual Elite Men’s Referees' Summer Course lays the groundwork for a consistent application of the rules at both club and international level.
"We start the season speaking only one technical language, and make sure that we’re all together on the same page."
Geneva was the setting for this year’s event attended by 88 match officials from across Europe. "It’s a crucial moment," says UEFA director of refereeing Roberto Rosetti. "The course brings everybody together, and the target is to align all of the referees as they go into the coming season. Emphasis is given to the most important current topics in refereeing, and we give technical guidelines for the new season."
A Laws of the Game test refreshed the referees' knowledge to kick things off and, with modern-day elite referees required to be top athletes just like the players, a rigorous fitness test also assessed the officials' physical condition. "Fitness is not an issue nowadays," said Rosetti. "The referees are 100% professional."
Controlling matches – calm emotions
The latest course underlined in particular the importance of staying in control of matches, not to mention their own emotions as part of the decision-making process.
"I think one of the keys is to stay calm and to show calmness to everyone around me, especially the players," says French referee François Letexier, who refereed the UEFA EURO 2024 final last year in Berlin. "I think the more you give them calm, the more they'll be calm back."
Italy's Maurizio Mariani added: "When we are in control of ourselves, we can enjoy the match. We can take decisions easily and strictly, and be together with the players, with the fans, with the coaches, with everybody. We are at the service of the of the match, and so we are proud to be there."
Bonding exercise
The summer course is also an opportunity to nurture the spirit of togetherness among the referees, who welcome the chance to join forces as a unified team. "This is the best part of the season for me," explained Portuguese official João Pinheiro, who recently took charge of the UEFA Super Cup match in Udine.
"I meet all my other friends from all around Europe. I bond with them, and with UEFA."
Rosetti believes the officials benefit from each other's company. "The referees do enjoy being together," he says. "For example, we thought about giving the 11 European referees involved in the recent FIFA Club World Cup more recovery time, rather than making them come to this course. Their response was unanimous – they all said that they wanted to come to Geneva and join their colleagues!"
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Consistency is key
Consistency and uniformity in decision-making remains a priority objective. "Consistency is a key word," says Rosetti. "It means that we can appoint a referee from Scandinavia, Turkey, Greece, Italy – and there is no change in interpretation."
Swiss referee Sandro Schärer is fully in tune. "The course is super important for the technical guidelines," he explains. "We're coming from different countries, different leagues, maybe with small adaptations. With UEFA, we have to be consistent throughout Europe."
Setting the example
Our campaign to recruit more match officials – 'Be A Referee!' – aims to inspire 40,000 young people across Europe to take up the whistle each season. Can the elite referees who proved their dedication in Geneva provide any inspiration?
Roberto Rosetti has no doubt. "Yes, of course, they are great people and fantastic role models," he says. "We need more referees in every country in Europe, and these guys set the standards for others to follow."