Referees in the media (week 47)

Referees in the media will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading.

“They cannot have contact with members of the public, because you don’t know what can be exchanged.”

Local organising committee CEO Mvuso Mbebe about the referees who will officiate at the African Nations Cup 2013 in Januaray and February.

“We will not assign referees next weekend for games in the D-League in Darmstadt. We have a duty of care for our referees and can in all honesty not tolerate that they put their health at risk in order to allow others to exercise their hobbies.”

Local county referee chief Sebastian Schaab in Darmstadt about the referee strike.

“You dedicate a significant part of your lives to football, a game of self-discipline and respect, and one that represents a battle where fair play must reign.”

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter about the road to Brazil for the referees. Also have a look at this funny refereeing cartoon in the new Fifa World Magazine.

“What we have seen over some 1,200 matches is a better [refereeing] control of the match.”

Says Uefa’s referee boss Pierluigi Collina at Friday’s workshop with extra assistant referees in Nyon. The video about the extra assistants released a few weeks ago is also worth watching.

Referees in the media (week 8 and 9)

‘Referees in the media’ will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading.

“Gone are the days when 30 minutes steady jogging is a suitable training.”

Says World Cup Final assistant referee Mike Mullarkey in his ‘ten point plan to be a top assistant’. Read full list in FA’s magazine Refereeing.

“It’s generally not conducive that criticism on referees is told via the media. It’s more important that we talk together, not about each other.”

Lutz Michael Fröhlich, referee chef in Germany after criticism from Bayern’s Uli Hoeness.

“I had planned to sit down for a chat with FIFA’s new head of refereeing, the famous ref Massimo Busacca, who has just retired from reffing at the highest level, but the meeting was squeezed out for lack of time after several hours of separate meetings and a lunch.”

Journalist and referee Simon Haydon didn’t have the time to visit Fifa’s new referees boss when he was at Fifa’s headquarters in Zürich. Read more about his meeting with Sepp Blatter and other refereeing stories on his blog.

“The fitness work has been excellent but I have also found mixing with the other referees here to be extremely beneficial and motivating.”

Paul Robertson from Scotland about his first experience of the winter training camp (in La Magna) as category one referee.

Referees in the media (week 44, 45 & 46)

‘Referees in the media’ will be published each Monday on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading.

This is the route for me to my personal destination which is officiating in the World Cup and Asian Cup. I think I’m on my way.

Chinese referee Wang Di after his promotion to the Asian referees Development Group.

“The referees should get much more help because their mistakes are seen all over television.”

Uefa president Michel Platini favours use of goal-line assistants. At the same moment he also stated that he’s against the use of technology in football.

“I will always remember Giulio not only as a great referee, a competent and passionate administrator, and a respected match and referee inspector, but also as a man of authority and character who left his mark on Italian refereeing and contributed to the development of refereeing at European and global level.”

Fifa president Sepp Blatter after Giulio Campati passed away on the age of 88. Campati was an international referee and was a member of both the Fifa and Uefa Referee Committee from 1968 to 1992.

“The fifth man opened his mouth, that’s not what they normally do.”

PSV Eindhoven player Keven Strootman was surprised that extra assistant Anthony Taylor advised referee Stuart Attwell to recall his decision to give a penalty kick. Correct call by the way.