The meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee will be held in Malta, at the Grand Hotel Excelsior, on January 28 and 29.

Among the items on the agenda are the UEFA EURO 2016 bid process, the experiment with five match officials and UEFA Grassroots Day 2010.

Candidates for the 2016 final tournament – the first to feature 24 teams – are currently finalising their bid dossiers, which they will have to present to UEFA by 15 February. An evaluation phase follows before the UEFA administration submits reports to the UEFA National Team Competitions Committee.

The Executive Committee, chaired by UEFA President Michel Platini, will hear an update on the experiment involving five match officials which is being undertaken at fixtures in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League on the proposal of the UEFA President last summer and after previous experiments in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in autumn 2008.

In addition to the match referee and two assistant referees on the touchline, two extra assistants are placed behind the goalline with the mission of focusing on incidents that happen in the penalty area, such as fouls or misconduct. The experiment has received a considerable amount of positive feedback, with supporters saying in particular that two extra pairs of eyes give invaluable support to referees in helping to minimise refereeing errors, especially in the penalty area.

Meanwhile as part of the run-up to the UEFA Champions League final an event will celebrate grassroots football across Europe. On the Wednesday before the final, 19 May, has been designated as UEFA Grassroots Day. The committee will receive an update on preparations for these activities during this meeting.