On 10 October, the physical fitness test for UAF referees took place at the V. Bannikov Sports and Training Centre.
All the referees working at UPL (including U-19) and PFL matches successfully passed the test. Then the referees listened to new UEFA and FIFA training material, in particular on working with VAR, and discussed the data obtained.
In addition, on this day, the chairman of the UAF Referees Committee Luciano Luci, together with the chief arbitration expert Nicola Rizzoli, held a video conference for the UAF referees to analyse and discuss a number of episodes of UPL and PFL matches in the first 10 rounds of the 2023/2024 championship. In particular, these are episodes of handball, serious game violations, disruptions of obvious scoring opportunities, offside moments, etc.
Despite the difficult times, the UAF is doing everything possible to ensure that referees are constantly learning and improving their skills, including in their interaction with VAR. In June-July, new referees and VAR assistants were trained in Kyiv, so that some UPL rounds can now be covered by 100% video replay technology.
The UAF referees are often criticised, but real positive achievements should be taken into account. In particular, this is the fact that the UEFA Referees Committee recently entrusted the Ukrainian referee team with the central match of the Europa League between Olimpik and Brighton, where the chairman of the UEFA Referees Committee Roberto Rosetti himself worked as an observer. And according to his report, our referees received a high rating.
This means that there is confidence in our referees at the European level, and this is a chance to see their work in the UEFA Champions League matches and other prestigious tournaments held under the auspices of UEFA and FIFA in the future.