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Match officials selected for duty at UEFA EURO 2024 are ready for action after a two-day workshop in Frankfurt.
The event brought together the 19 selected referees and their assistants, as well as VARs and supporting officials, for an in-depth briefing a month ahead of the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 14.
The workshop was the first gathering of all 89 EURO 2024 officials, and a perfect opportunity to familiarise themselves with their tournament base camp, a country hotel complex just outside Frankfurt, selected as a convenient central location for travel to each of the ten match venues across the country.
The group, which also features a team of officials from Argentina thanks to UEFA’s on-going collaboration with CONMEBOL, will spend more than one month together as they prepare for the 51 matches to come.
Such a high-profile tournament, the third-biggest sporting stage in the world, brings with it plenty of pressure to perform, but also represents a high point in officials’ careers, a point Roberto Rosetti, UEFA’s managing director of refereeing, was keen to emphasise.
Roberto Rosetti’s message to EURO 2024 officials, “Welcome to Germany and congratulations on being here. You are at one of the best tournaments in the world, so enjoy these moments. They are among the most important and beautiful moments in all your life. I am fully convinced that this is the best list of referees ever for a football tournament. We are so proud of the names on this list and you must be proud to be here too.”
François Letexier, EURO 2024 referee, said, “I was very pleased to be selected for EURO 2024, it is a big achievement and was one of my personal goals, but I am also aware that it is a big responsibility and the most difficult part is still to come. This workshop is the best way to prepare, all here together to receive the same messages in a focused, friendly environment.”
During the workshop, the referees received wide-ranging updates around match organisation, medical, technology and integrity matters, but the main focus was on their roles across the all-important 90 minutes.
Protecting the image of the game
One of the key points on the agenda was how referees should manage player and coach behaviour during matches.
Rosetti published an open letter earlier this week detailing the importance of working with teams to present a positive image and set the right example for younger players and supporters.
It was a topic also discussed with team coaches at the recent finalists’ briefing in Düsseldorf and with UEFA’s Football Board, and presented once more to officials here in Frankfurt.
“We are talking about the image of the game. Players and coaches must respect our job and if they don’t, we will take action,” Rosetti explained.
