Maltese referees to attend course in Rome

FIFA referees Esther Azzopardi and Kevin Azzopardi will join other international officials for two important UEFA annual winter courses, this year to be held in Rome.

Photo: Copyright © Joe Borg / MFA

Esther Azzopardi will participate in the 21st UEFA Advanced Course for Top Male and Female Referees where participants will get instructions from Referees Committee members in preparation for their assignments in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League knockout stages resuming in mid-February, in particular with a view to achieving consistency and uniformity in decision-making.

Kevin Azzopardi will participate in the 22nd UEFA Introductory Course for International Referees appointed in 2013. This course will be welcoming new international referees and introducing them to a first official experience regarding their responsibilities at European level – some of whom have already attended courses at the UEFA Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) in Nyon, which is preparing promising young officials for the future.

The FIFA novices will undertake a medical check-up and take the FIFA fitness test. They will also receive various instructions from the UEFA administration on matters such as writing reports and how to conduct themselves as UEFA representatives at matches. The course will contain presentations by Referees Committee members and video sessions analysing specially prepared footage from UEFA games over the past year. Participants will also learn about specific training sessions, including exercises relevant to their positioning and movement during a match.