Referee Prepares To Face EURO 2024 With A Two-Day Workshop In Frankfurt

The referee who was elected to serve at UEFA EURO 2024 participated in an intensive workshop in Frankfurt.b (photo: eufa)

JAKARTA - The referee who was selected to serve at UEFA EURO 2024 is now ready to take action after attending an intensive workshop for two days in Frankfurt. This event brought together 19 selected referees along with their assistants, VAR, and other supporting officials for in-depth briefing a month before the tournament which took place from June 14 to July 14.

This workshop is the first meeting of all 89 EURO 2024 officials, giving them the perfect opportunity to get to know their tournament base, a hotel complex outside Frankfurt. This location was chosen because of its strategic position, allowing easy trips to ten venues throughout Germany.

The group, which also includes an official team from Argentina as a result of the UEFA collaboration with CONMEBOL, will spend more than a month preparing for 51 games to come.

Roberto Rosetti, UEFA Referee Managing Director, delivered a warm and vibrant welcome to the officials. "Welcome to Germany and congratulations on this achievement. You are in one of the best tournaments in the world, so enjoy these moments. They are the most important and most beautiful moments of your life. I believe this is the best referee list ever for a football tournament. We are very proud of the names on this list and you should also be proud to be here," Rosetti said, as quoted by VOI from the UEFA website.

"I am very happy to be selected for EURO 2024. This is a great achievement and one of my personal goals, but I also realize that this is a big responsibility and the hardest part is still coming. This workshop is the best way to prepare yourself, all here together to receive the same message in a focused and friendly environment", said Letexier, one of the referees selected for EURO 2024, adding.

One of the main points in the workshop agenda is how referees have to manage the behavior of players and coaches during matches. Rosetti published an open letter earlier this week emphasizing the importance of working with the team to present a positive image and set a good example for young players and fans.

"We are talking about the image of the game. Players and coaches must respect our work, and if they don't, we will take action," said Rosetti.

To encourage respect and fair play, UEFA has issued a new directive for EURO 2024, in which the referee will speak directly to the team captain to explain important decisions on the pitch. This directive will be discussed in detail with each of the 24 teams participating in their camps before the tournament.

Not only players who need to be in top condition for EURO 2024. Match officials must also be ready to act at the highest level, ready to run up to 13 kilometers per match with high intensity while making decisions in seconds.

UEFA monitors the fitness of match officials throughout the season, providing dedicated training and testing programs to ensure optimal performance. In Frankfurt, they were tested by special fitness trainers with a series of exercises to keep them sharp ahead of the tournament.

"The referee's referee and assistant have no choice. You have to be free from injury, fresh and fit when you come to the tournament. Training quality is very high and we are very confident that you are doing a good job," said Werner Helsen, UEFA's fitness coach.

Rosetti and the UEFA referee team presented various match situations to officials, discussing when interventions should be made. UEFA's approach during the tournament will reflect what is in the club competition, with the principle of "minimum interference for maximum benefit". VAR will not overturn referees' decisions on the pitch unless there is clear and real evidence of a mistake, in which the final decision is always made by the referee.

With the push and confidence of UEFA referee leaders still ringing in their ears, match officials are now returning home to finish their domestic season, before returning to Germany in early June. The countdown to EURO 2024 is now really starting!