Jonas Eriksson reflects on Super Cup honour (UEFA.com)

Having officiated in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League semi-final matches, Jonas Eriksson is well used to the big occasion, making him the ideal choice to take charge of the UEFA Super Cup between FC Bayern München and Chelsea FC on Friday evening. The Swedish spoke to UEFA.com about his pride at being appointed for the UEFA Super Cup, what inspired his decision to become a match official and what motivates him. 

Jonas Eriksson looking forward to Prague final

Speaking to UEFA.com, the Swedish referee revealed his pride at being selected for such a prestigious match, his reasons for taking up refereeing in the first place and the driving factor behind his success, on and off the field.

UEFA.com: Jonas Eriksson, how much are you looking forward to refereeing the UEFA Super Cup?

Jonas Eriksson: A lot, of course. I've been refereeing since I was 14 or 15 years old and of course at that age you dream of officiating at one of the biggest finals – and this is one of them.

UEFA.com: You've already refereed some important matches in your career, where does the UEFA Super Cup rank among your highlights?

Eriksson: A final is a final – a winner will be decided. To be appointed for a one-off, knock-out match is always something significant. I try not to rate the matches in terms of importance, I'm just delighted to have been appointed for this match and that UEFA have put their trust in me.

UEFA.com: What inspired you to become a referee?

Eriksson: I felt a lot of referees didn't have the kind of communication skills I expected as a player at a young age – referees who could explain their decisions. Often they didn't have the fitness to be in the right spot. The quality of the refereeing was not good at the level I played at and I felt I could do better. They told me to do a course and do it myself – so I did.

UEFA.com: Who were your role models as a young referee?

Eriksson: I spent a lot of time with Anders Frisk, Sweden's top referee until 2005. I followed him to a number of matches as a fourth official, but I also looked at other referees. I don't think you could copy one referee. It's too much about personality, but I learned bits and pieces from Anders and I looked at other European referees, Pierluigi Collina being one, Markus Merk being another, Hugh Dallas a third. All of them had different skills which I looked at and tried to adopt and develop.

UEFA.com: How important are man-management skills when you're out on the field refereeing 22 players?

Eriksson: Of course it has a lot to do with man-management, the way you approach the players, the way you communicate with them and also prevent things from happening. You have to sell them the decision and get them to accept it. Sometimes you don't make the best decisions but you have to be very good at selling the decisions, otherwise you're going to have a very tough time out there.

UEFA.com: It must also take a lot of character and mental strength…

Eriksson: I think self-confidence and the ability to sell your decisions – that means looking self-assured and being able to convince the players that I made the right decision – is very important. If you don't have that personality and trust in yourself, I don't think you can do the job.

UEFA.com: As well as becoming a successful referee, you also became a successful businessman. What is it that gives you the drive to get to the very top?

Eriksson: I love football and I love to referee. Every week when I step out onto the grass I'm doing what I love most. I've had a fantastic life as a businessman as well, but since 2011 I've dedicated myself to being a professional referee and I'm having the time of my life.   

UEFA.com: How are you and your assistants going to prepare for tomorrow's game?

Eriksson: We received the appointments a few days ago. I've been studying the two teams technically. These are two well-known teams, we’ve all seen them before. Of course there are a few new things – they have new managers for example – but we've watched previous matches. We had a preparatory talk today and we'll have another tomorrow. We've done matches together in our domestic competition, too, and we've been doing some training together too. We're going to warm up, take a walk around the pitch and look at various positions to enhance our cooperation for Friday's match.

interview taken from uefa.com

Kevin Blom: "My world collapsed"

Not even two years ago, Bernie Raymond Blom was the name of one of the most promising European international referees for the future. Widely known as "Kevin" Blom, the Dutch FIFA official had been just promoted to Elite Group, the highest formal classification a referee can reach within UEFA officiating. Something far-reaching however happened about which Blom now talked to Algemeen Dagblad, a Netherlandish newspaper.

Former Elite referee Kevin Blom (c) ZIMBIO

In a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match on 3 September 2011, Blom awarded a penalty to the Czech Republic in the dying minutes of a game against Scotland. The penalty was given because of an alleged foul on Jan Rezek, but replays showed the "foul" to be simulation on Rezek's part. The penalty was converted, leveling the score at 2:2. Subsequently, Blom booked Scotland's Christophe Berra when the latter was fouled in the Czech penalty box. The penalty was denied, Blom believing Berra to have dived. The result all but ended Scotland's hopes of qualification.

"You got it all wrong" were the first words reported to the officiating team by an official of the Scottish federation having left Hampden Park's pitch on their way into the dressing room, followed by the announcement that the referees' usual post-match dinner in the city of Glasgow should be cancelled. When Blom checked the decisive incidents on DVD in his hotel room, his world collapsed: "It was simulation by this guy. I was terribly fooled.", Blom said.

He unfolded: "I couldn't eat during dinner and didn't even sleep. You're lying there, thinking, sweating. Trying to find solutions. I have also played football myself. I know what a sportsman goes through. It feels like a very tough defeat. At the day after the match, at the airport, there was some bustle with some people. At the douane, we had to wait for an hour, but they felt like ten."

"The feeling that you have denied a country the European Championship exhausts you. [...] It exhausted me for a year. But I had to go on. When you referee a match you need to clear your head. I spent some time in a village for this reason."

Blom also referred to the consequences for his career: "You are thinking about everything. Will I miss the European Championships? What does this mean for my referee career?"
In a phone-call with Italian UEFA refereeing head Pierluigi Collina, Blom got the answer on that. "At first he was the coach, asking how I feel, saying that he also experienced that and that all this would just be human. But then the next message said that I would be replaced for the next Champions League match. [...] The downward spiral started.", he said.
And indeed, that happened. In spring 2012, following another controversial performance in a match of UEFA Europa League (Sporting Braga - Besiktas), Blom was demoted to First Group having been Elite for only one complete season. In addition, it was not Blom but Björn Kuipers who was assigned to handle matches at the European Championship in Poland and the Ukraine in 2012.

Blom added he had closed the subject now and he was still ambitious as a referee, still wanting to get the best appointments. “I’m doing fine now. No strange things during the last season and I can’t wait for the start of next season.”

Referees at U19 finals get invaluable experience

The 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship is providing an important daily learning curve for the match officials working at the final tournament in Lithuania.

 

Orel Grinfeeld and Martin Strombergsson (c) uefa.com

Besides nurturing the future of Europe's footballing talent, the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final round also provides the tournament's referees with an important opportunity to hone their own developing skills.

Jozef Marko, a member of the UEFA Referees Committee attending the finals, said he has been particularly impressed by the standard of officiating at this, the first U19 championship to be held in Lithuania.

"The referees have already shown their qualities and based on those they have been selected for this tournament; the process is very simple," he said. "The referees here are not beginners. The majority of them have been on the FIFA list for four or five years and have proved their quality over a period of time."

The match officials are in daily contact at their base in Kaunas, with meetings and briefings organised by the Referees Committee as well as physical training regimes forming a significant part of their learning curve. "We arrange several seminars for them and show DVDs while issuing methodological information," Marko continued. "We observe their progress. Many of the referees are going step by step. Some have officiated at Under-17 level or at other tournaments as well as UEFA club competition matches. The process is to follow and increase their quality.

"The main points here in Lithuania are to teach the referees to reach a high level of interpretation of the Laws of the Game," Marko explained. "Protecting the health of the players and the image of the game are also important points on the road to reaching the level required by UEFA."

Taking time out from this busy schedule, two of the referees, Israel's Orel Grinfeeld and Martin Strömbergsson of Sweden told UEFA.com that their experience so far has been both enjoyable and highly informative. "Being here represents a great opportunity and it's a big step in my career," Grinfeeld said. "I was in Serbia a month ago for the elite round but this is my first time at an Under-19 championship. For us it's very important to learn at such a high-level tournament and you learn something new every day."

Strömbergsson agreed, adding: "We talk about respect here all the time, and I mean everyone, from coaches and players to the referees. There are very good player-referee relations here. My first match at the finals was the game between hosts Lithuania and the Netherlands and my feeling was that there was a lot of fair play between the teams."

Dovetailing with the constant fine-tuning of referees' on and off-field skills is their own personal desire for progress, with this event helping to highlight what could lie ahead for them in the near future. "My dream is to take the next step and referee a UEFA Champions League match," Strömbergsson said. "I love football and watch that tournament all the time."

An appearance at a UEFA EURO, meanwhile, figures prominently on Grinfeeld's refereeing wish list. For now, though, both are thrilled to carry on learning at the 12th UEFA European U19 Championship.

Kulbakov considers the Under-19 EURO final as a "very important moment" in his career.

Opland, Kulbakov, Broughton and Zwayer (c) uefa.com

Aleksei Kulbakov has been selected to referee the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final, the culmination of a rewarding two-week period for the Belarusian official.

Aleksei Kulbakov is anticipating a "very important moment" in his career having been chosen to referee the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final between France and Serbia.

Fully focused on Thursday's showpiece in Marijampole, the 33-year-old Belarusian expressed his gratitude at being selected to officiate in the encounter, with his pride shared among the refereeing team – assistants Dermot Broughton of the Republic of Ireland and Leif Eric Opland from Norway and German fourth official Felix Zwayer.

"To be part of the refereeing team along with Dermot, Eric and Felix is both a big honour and a pleasure," Kulbakov told UEFA.com. "It's a very important moment in our refereeing lives. Every referee here at the tournament formed a great group. We were from countries all over Europe but spoke only one language, the language of football."

From their base in Kaunas, all of the match officials in Lithuania have received daily briefing sessions and fitness workouts which have formed part of an important learning process during the finals. "These past two weeks we have worked very professionally and in an in-depth manner while trying to improve ourselves as people and as referees," Kulbakov said.

"We had really excellent physical and practical training with our coach while receiving highly informative analysis from our observers. We discussed a lot of situations with regard to reading the game. I can now take this information and these ideas back home with me and share them with my Belarusian refereeing colleagues."

Agreeing that the standard of football has been particularly high, Kulbakov said that the players and the Lithuanian public had combined to create a unique sporting event played in a warm atmosphere.

"Obviously the players here are all around 19 years old yet you can already see that many of them will be stars of the UEFA Champions League in the future," the referee explained. "We have also seen a lot of spectators here, even when Lithuania have not been playing, which goes to show the interest there has been in the tournament. This is a beautiful country where the people have been always willing to help us."

Having studied closely a recording of the finalists' 1-1 Group B draw last week, Kulbakov said his team of officials are expecting a different type of match. "This is a final and, as such, is a special game," he said. "We watched the sides' previous game but realise the next one will not be the same. We just want to concentrate and be prepared for any eventuality that may arise."

published on UEFA.com

Kuipers: "This is what you dream about"

Proud Dutch referee Björn Kuipers, who had been selected by FIFA to officiate tonight's FIFA Confederations Cup final between Brazil and Spain at Rio de Janeiro's gorgeous Estádio do Maracanã, has been interviewed by FIFA.com and reflected the tournament in diverse facets. 

Here's what he told FIFA.com.

Matej Jug and his perfect June 2013

Matej Jug recently became a father again and on Tuesday the Slovenian will referee the Under-21 final in Israel – no surprise then that he "will remember June 2013 forever". 

It is a time of major responsibility for Slovenian referee Matej Jug. The 32-year-old has been tasked with handling Tuesday's UEFA European Under-21 Championship final between Italy and Spain in Jerusalem, soon after celebrating the birth of his second son Miha. Jug told UEFA.com that the support of his family, and of countryman and UEFA EURO 2012 colleague Damir Skomina, is a "big motivation" for him.

UEFA.com: Congratulations on your appointment – how did you feel on hearing the news?

Matej Jug: Of course, it's great news, I'm delighted. It's a great honour for a referee to be at the final and of course, on the other side, a very big responsibility. Also, it is very important that the family supports you on your way [to these achievements] and my family does that a lot. In the last few days we have had a second child so that is one more special event for me: I will remember June 2013 forever. These things give you the motivation to be even better.

UEFA.com: How have you and your team enjoyed this tournament, and what challenges has it presented to you?

Jug: Nowadays it's very important to have a very good team [of officials] because there must be cooperation between us, both on and off the pitch. So we try to find out positive and negative points, watch the clips of match situations, and analyse the teams in order to do our best on the field. Now it's important to prepare well for the final – football nowadays is at a very high level so we look at the teams in a tactical and technical way in order to try and be at our best.

UEFA.com: How important have your experiences been in UEFA matches and as part of Damir Skomina's team at UEFA EURO 2012?

Jug: Of course, I have done some matches in the UEFA Europa League but I think this tournament is the biggest one after EURO. It's a very important step in my career and it will help me reach the next level – I'm very proud of being at this tournament. I can say that I learned a lot from Damir, he's one of the best referees at the moment. He gives me a lot of advice and also at EURO, it was a big tournament and an excellent experience for me. Damir has congratulated me [since the appointment] and was very happy there is a Slovenian referee who will officiate in the final.

UEFA.com: You have previously refereed a domestic cup final. How do you prepare for a big game?

Jug: For me, every match is the same, whether it is played at a high or a low level. I go through the same routine so it is important to have your own style and your own preparation for a match.

source: UEFA.com

"The players helped me to fade from the spotlight", Rizzoli tells Gazzetta dello Sport

After his presence in 2013 UEFA Champions League final, Italian official Nicola Rizzoli spoke with Italy's biggest sports newspaper, Gazzetta dello Sport, about his emotions and impressions collected at Wembley Stadium.

Nicola Rizzoli urging Mario Mandzukic (c) wa.de

Gazzetta: Tell us about your feelings during the match.

Rizzoli: There was a quite calm atmosphere. The players were really fair and they helped me to fade from the spotlight, I whistled only 17 fouls. After the final whistle, I cried, I was sure of having shown a good performance on the pitch, but I was waiting for Pierluigi Collina’s words. He came in my room and after a few seconds of silence, he said: “Good, Nicola, you were good along with your whole team. Now it’s time to celebrate and enjoy. You deserve that.“

Gazzetta: You have frequently given advantages.

Rizzoli: Stopping an action is often a pity: football is nice especially when it’s fluent, without interruptions. A referee has not always this chance, but in this match I noticed that it was possible.

Gazzetta: In serie A, it’s different.

Rizzoli: It’s a problem of culture. When our teams play in UEFA competitions, they also change their styles, focusing on the respect for the opponent. A player knows that a red card might mean several matches of ban, so he is careful. There aren’t exaggerated complaints. Everything is easy.

Gazzetta: Hearing your words, it seems that a CL final is easier than a serie A match.

Rizzoli: Yes, it’s true. Of course, we can’t compare the importance and the pressure of this final with other matches, nevertheless in serie A from a technical point of view, I have more difficulties.

Gazzetta: Other memories from “your” Wembley final?

Rizzoli: At the end of the game, Robben talked to me, saying: “You deserved this final, and you were really good.” I’m quite able to play football but sometimes I envy those players, they are really champions. Robben, Schweinsteiger and Reus were my favourite players in this final.

Gazzetta: The most difficult decision of the match?

Rizzoli: Penalty to Borussia Dortmund, even though it can appear clear on TV, it wasn’t. I had not a free view on the pitch, Reus was obstructing me. I was able to understand the situation also thanks to my experience.

Gazzetta: Klopp asked for a second YC to Dante.

Rizzoli: To be honest, he congratulated me. Anyway, I understand that we can discuss about this situation. It appeared to me as an unintentional foul. It was a negligence by Dante, and according to rules, this is not a YC. You must give the second YC only when you are really sure. Some people say that when you whistle a penalty, the card must be mandatory. Stupid and false sentence. Furthermore, the action didn’t appear to me as potentially important for Borussia Dortmund.

Gazzetta: What about the situation between Ribery and Lewandowski in the first half?

Rizzoli: Yes, I might have booked them, but in those cases the referees must calm down the players, not exasperating them. It’s a better choice. They immediately had a clarification and nothing happened. In second half it was different, therefore I booked Ribery and Großkreutz.

Gazzetta: The first goal scored by Bayern is an excellent call due to a very difficult onside position.

Rizzoli: Yes, thank to this man here close to me (Faverani).

Faverani: I have to admit that I was lucky. I was focused on Mandzukic, he was in an offside position. Ribery decided to pass the ball to Robben, at first he also appeared to be offside to me, but I waited because I evaluated the speed of the action, and I thought that he was in a regular position. And that was correct, I decided by intuition.

Gazzetta: Your next goals?

Rizzoli: 200 matches in serie A, and Brazil 2014.

Gazzetta: You are going to fly to Rio de Janeiro with Rocchi.

Rizzoli: Yes, we have a FIFA meeting on the road to WC 2014.

Gazzetta: A lot of time has passed since your first match as referee.

Rizzoli: Yes, and I would like to meet again a man who 25 years ago said to me: “You can’t referee, you are not able to do that. I know important people in our association (AIA). I will make you stop refereeing.”

Urs Meier: "It's not only money which gives a referee the feeling he's a pro"

Despite persistently enhanced professionalism in football refereeing, which is widely considered as needed to keep pace with the development football itself as a game is featuring, Switzerland's football federation is obviously failing in terms of that.

At the start of October 2012, four out of twelve Swiss top referees (Damien Carrel/30, Ludovic Gremaud/32, Cyril Zimmermann/36 and Daniel Wermelinger/41) announced their retirement at the end of year due to a defective support they encounter by their federation, an amateurish level of professionalism and a lack of respect shown to the referees by diverse sides.

Switzerland have lost a great referee hope: Damien Carrel (c) RTS

In addition, the above mentioned officials have found themselves unable to combine their personal life including family and full-time jobs in high positions both in the industry and in the economy with a high degree of professionalism as a referee. A few weeks ago, Swedish official Markus Strömbergsson withdrew his FIFA status for this reason, too. Damien Carrel, who was regarded by Swiss referee committee chief Carlo Bertolini to become the next international top referee for Switzerland, stated in an interview to blick.ch that there was a huge "lack of respect for their work", although he emphasized that he did not merely concern fans and media, but the Swiss referee pool and specially the Swiss football federation SFV as well: "Three weeks ago, a clear penalty was overseen in a match. And what did the referee do? He told the media that it had been a big mistake by his assistant. [...] The tendency of publicly looking for other culprits is alarming." [remark: he concerned the match between Young Boys Bern and FC Basel of which Stephan Studer had been in charge and later highlighted a communication error caused by his assistant Sandro Pozzi as the only reason for the clearly missed penalty]

Besides, Cyril Zimmermann stressed the need "to facilitate more means to relieve the difficulties full-time employees have to cope with".

While this specific criticism issued by current and coming FIFA officials certainly cannot be generalized to all the countries, it however seems to be a widely spread issue referees are facing. 

Dutch Referee Blog and World of Football Refereeing spoke exclusively to Urs Meier, former Swiss top referee having, among others, joined two World Cups (1998/2002) and two European Championships (2000/2004) and taken charge of 2001/02 UEFA Champions League final between Leverkusen and Real Madrid. He had moreover headed the Swiss referee committee for a while before he retired for quite similar reasons. It is the second time I had the chance to get an interview of this top referee, you can find the first one here (on German).

DRB/WoFR: Mr Meier, what was your first reaction following the announced retirement of four Swiss top officials?

Meier: "I was a bit shocked by the news that four of the twelve Swiss top referees will quit officiating after this season. Especially because two of them are young referees, both from the French part of Switzerland. Damien Carrell, one of them, was even nominated to become a Fifa referee. It's not usual, but they had no time anymore for refereeing.

At the time I was the referee chief - I quit about a year ago - I saw always that same problem with my referees. As referee department we need to get more time for them. The Swiss referee system needs a professional or semi-professional organisation with better training facilities and higher payments for referees, so they could stop working and spend more time in refereeing. The football association has to do something now, otherwise there will be more problems in the future. There are more young refs considering to stop."

Why?

"Refereeing nowadays costs more time then before, for example in the period I was an international referee. There are more mandatory trainings, meetings and more appointments because there need to be extra assistants. That means they got less time for business and family. Refereeing takes more and more time, but some just couldn't combine that with a job."

Urs Meier, an advocate for more professionalism in refereeing (c) ursmeier.ch

There was some news about a sponsor contract between the Swiss SuperLeague and InfrontRingier for CHF 140.000 million in five years. The refereeing budget is 200.000 francs.

"Football has become so professional. That also needs a change in the way we think about refereeing. But the association doesn't want to. The four referees are not the only who stopped because they feel unappreciated. It's the same with Massimo Busacca. If have not gotten the job at Fifa, he would looked for a job as fulltime referee in another country. Otherwise he would have stopped."

But you made it too as top referee without much financial support from the national FA.

"Becoming top referee and going for it, is of course also a case for the referee himself. But there's a difference: I was independent with my own business. I could spend the whole time on refereeing. All the referees who stopped have a good job. One's a lawyer, another has a good position at a bank. You can't spend more and more time on refereeing, they need to be at work too."

Is this a Swiss problem?

"No, it's also a problem in other countries. The FAs lose a lot of experiences due to lack of respect for referees. In Sweden and England they try to do something for the referees, but Austria is for example the same as Switzerland. But it's not only salary. In Germany referees get more money than in some parts of Europe, but they also need a more professional referee structure. It's not only money which gives a referee the feeling he's a professional. They also need the possibilities to have proper training via internet and on the pitch."

Do countries need to collaborate more?

"They have the same problems and can help each other with creating professional referee structures. But I don't think it's a good idea to get a similar payment system for all countries. There are so many differences in each country, also in level and available money. But one thing is for sure: referees do need more money to be professional."

What if the Swiss FA is going to spend more money to get a professional structure, as you suggested when you were the boss?

"I am always there to help, but I am not going back to the situation when I was the head of refereeing. I'd like to compare the situation with a train that goes up the mountain to reach the top. There are other ways to reach the top, but you need to pick just one. In refereeing I'd choose the route with a professional structure and only go this way."

Thanks a lot for this interview, Mr Meier.

Proença thrilled by Kyiv honour

Portuguese referee Pedro Proença will set the seal on a memorable season when he takes charge of his fourth, and most important fixture, at UEFA EURO 2012 in Kyiv tonight. The 41-year-old also officiated the UEFA Champions League final on Munich on 19 May and told UEFA.com that being awarded the final at the Olympic Stadium is not only a privilege and an honour, but the peak of his career.

(c) ZIMBIO

UEFA.com: Being awarded the UEFA EURO 2012 final must be very special for you?

Proença: Yes, it's an honour to have this chance and to be invited. For any referee this would be one of the best moments of his career and I really feel privileged to have been asked, both for me and my team. It's a sign of acknowledgement of the work we have done at this tournament so it brings us happiness that has to be shared with the two finalists

.

UEFA.com: How does it feel having been awarded the UEFA Champions League final and the UEFA EURO 2012 final?

Proença: This means I have finally reached my peak as a referee. Several factors were involved in me getting here at my age and reaching the top level. I feel really satisfied and privileged so tomorrow I will try to honour the job, make the most of it and share the happiness with my colleagues.

UEFA.com: You have refereed a lot of these players before. Does that help you?

Proença: Luckily I have met a lot of the players over the years during UEFA competitions and, of course, football has a universal language. The behaviour of people of latin heritage is a bit different and we have a body language that makes us understand each other. I understand players' behaviour and the players understand the referee's behaviour. From this point of view it will be a bit easier for me.

UEFA.com: What does it mean for a Portuguese man to referee the final?

Proença: At the moment we represent the quality of Portuguese refereeing and I hope tomorrow we prove it on the pitch. It shows the work we Portuguese have been doing all this time. I feel satisfied and I know this feeling is shared by every Portuguese referee. I'll represent Portugal tomorrow.

UEFA.com: Can you explain a little bit about what you need from your assistants?

Proença: The referee is just the face of a team and I couldn't do anything if I didn't have these fantastic men with me. They're the ones who, at the end of the day, give me support and the confidence to decide what's best. Tomorrow is a prize which will be shared by many people, but most of all, by the people who will be with me on the pitch, these four fantastic men.

UEFA.com: What are your thoughts on UEFA EURO 2012 so far?

Proença: It has been fantastic. I really want to highlight the behaviour of every athlete and every player. They have shown extraordinary fair play. This shows the respect they have for the fans, the crowd and the people who watched them on TV. Unity and respect, which I think people deserve, was conveyed by players.

source: UEFA.com