UEFA Referees Committee President Roberto Rosetti has announced that referees will share with team captains the reasons for decisions made in critical positions during EURO 2024 matches.
UEFA Referees Committee President Roberto Rosetti has announced that during the 2024 European Football Championship (EURO 2024) matches, referees will share with team captains the reasons for decisions taken in critical positions.
Referee Transparency and Responsibility Sharing
In a written statement, Rosetti drew attention to the difficulty of being a referee in modern football, noting that 200 to 250 decisions are made per match, one every 22 seconds. Rosetti said that referees are sometimes forced to make “unwanted” decisions under great pressure in controversial situations and that these decisions are replayed from different angles by fans and commentators. He emphasized that he would like referees to be more open by explaining what led to certain decisions.
The Role of Captains and Respect for the Referee
Rosetti said that it is impossible for referees to explain decisions to all 22 players under pressure and emphasized that as many decisions as possible should be explained to team captains during the tournament. He explained that they want the captain to be the only player from each team who speaks to the referee, while players who disrespect the referee will be shown a yellow card. Captains should ensure that teammates do not surround the referee.
Healthy Communication and Mutual Trust
Referees will be encouraged to be open in their conversations with captains, Rosetti said: “If the team captain is a goalkeeper, another player who can fulfill the captain’s responsibility should step in if an incident occurs at the opposite end of the pitch. The openness of referees towards players will build trust and allow referees to demonstrate their leadership qualities.”
Improving the Quality of Refereeing
Rosetti said that this approach would strengthen the hands of referees, improve the already very high quality of officiating in competitions and lead to better matches for players and fans to enjoy throughout the tournament. Facilitating constructive dialogue between referees and team captains would be beneficial for all and would leave a positive legacy for the future of football.
UEFA’s Education Work
UEFA’s team of expert referees and, if possible, a tournament referee, will meet with each of the 24 teams to discuss the issue in more detail and share the information with the players, Rosetti said, adding that a detailed briefing on the implementation of this new rule will be provided.
