Observing the game
Europe's referees have earned themselves excellent reputations not only through their own sterling efforts, but also thanks to the constant care and attention that UEFA and the national associations give to their progress. The role of the referee observer is an essential component of this fostering and assessment process.
Workshops
The observers are all experienced former European referees. They attend
UEFA matches at all levels to watch the match referees, mark their
performance and act as crucial advisors to them after the game in
discussing incidents and decisions taken. In turn, UEFA has been giving
training to its referee observers through a series of workshops - one of
which was staged last season at a UEFA Champions League match, and led
by UEFA referee observer sub-committee members Jaap Uilenberg and Bo
Karlsson, as well as UEFA referee instruction panel member Ken Ridden.
The objectives of the workshops are to enhance uniform interpretation
and analysis in the observation of referees at European matches and to
hone the observation process. "We need to enhance and improve uniformity
in this area," said Uilenberg. "The course aims at training and
practicing, and setting up a network to share ideas and experiences."
'Crucial role'
UEFA's head of refereeing Yvan Cornu told the workshop delegates that
referee observation involved three steps - watching and analysing the
match, the influence of the analysis on the mark given to the referee
for his performance, and the post-match debriefing with the match
officials. "Observers have a crucial role - they are not match
spectators, they are 'match instructors', because they will be assessing
referees on their performance and giving advice for the future," said
Cornu. "There are more than 130 observers in Europe from countries with
different football philosophies. Our objective is to spread the same
message throughout Europe as regards uniform interpretation. It's quite
a challenge, and this why we have held such courses for a year now."
Duties
The observers are asked to analyse proactive or preventive decisions
which influence the progress of the match, assess decisions that respond
to the match demands, and how the referees react to the consequences of
difficult situations or decisions. They should pay attention to
important decisions such as fouls or simulation close to the penalty
area, denial of goal-scoring opportunities, acts of violence, mass
confrontations and protests against decisions, second yellow cards and
decisive offside rulings.
Marking system
In assessing a referee's performance, if the observer feels a clear
mistake on an important decision influences the development of a match,
the mark should not be higher than satisfactory and not exceed 7.9 out
of 10, deemed satisfactory. A mark higher than 8.4, a good, efficient
performance, is only possible when important decisions have been
identified by the observer and described in writing in his report. For a
mark lower than 8.0, aspects of improvement also have to be described.
Motivation
Following the game, the observer meets with the four match officials -
the referee, two assistants and fourth official - to discuss positive
aspects and areas where improvements have to be made, with potential
solutions open to general proposals. The observer is asked to indicate
his evaluation, in words rather than through his mark, and conclude with
a positive and encouraging remark as a means of good psychological
motivation for the future.
'Sharing of ideas'
The observers attended a UEFA Champions League match, and then went into
practical mode, firstly compiling their own assessment of the game.
Separate groups discussed the referee's performance to reach agreement,
and each group then played roles in post-match analysis with the
"referee" and "match officials" - the latter roles were played by course
leaders. Discussions were lively, opinions varied, and solutions
manifold. "It is only through this sharing of ideas that we can be
successful in our referee observer work," concluded Uilenberg. Thanks to
UEFA's attention to detail on such matters, the future of European
refereeing is in thoroughly safe hands.
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