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Sixth UEFA Referee Seminar to be Held Next Week

The sixth seminar of the UEFA`s programme to nurture European referees will take place next week in Switzerland. The seminar is will be a two-day meet from 9 to 10 of May. There are 11 referees-to-be participating in the course and even two female officials. This seminar, which combines practical and theoretical elements, as well as a training session, will look at how the talents and mentors programme has reached its current stage and examine how to make improvements for the future.

Over recent years, under UEFA`s management, groups of young European referees are given guidance and help by experienced former officials. UEFA is of the view that, in the same way that young footballers need the advice of experienced current or former professionals, young referees can benefit from the experiences 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 European games at the highest level.

UEFA`s referee fitness expert, Werner Helsen, will present a training programme and conduct a training session at the Colovray stadium opposite UEFA`s headquarters in Nyon. Swiss sports psychologist Mattia Piffaretti will focus on the mental and psychological elements within the course, and video examples will be used to provide the young referees with tips on how to react and take the right decisions in certain situations. In addition, the referees will hear a presentation from the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network on how they can contribute to the campaign to fight racism in the game.