The referees of the European Championship in Germany, which begins in a month, will only explain their decisions during the matches to the team captains. Furthermore, any other player who approaches the referee showing any sign of disrespect or disagreement will be reprimanded, as indicated by UEFA.
The organization has published a document signed by the Italian Roberto Rosetti, head of refereeing at UEFA, in which he states that the institution wants “referees to explain their decisions more to all teams to promote a healthy environment between all parties, to build trust with the players and show the type of leadership that is required of modern officials.”
“We want referees with a strong personality who make and assume decisions on the field of play, but, at the same time, we want them to be more open and explain what led them to make certain decisions,” declared the head of UEFA refereeing.
The organization has also opted for this initiative to “increase the quality of refereeing in our competitions and better matches for players and fans to enjoy during the tournament.” Likewise, the institution chaired by Aleksander Ceferin seeks to “free the referee when making decisions, because explaining an action with 22 players harassing you is impossible for a referee.”
To implement it in the European Championship in Germany, UEFA will ask teams to “ensure that their captain is the only player who speaks to the referee.” In addition, the captains of all teams must ensure that “their teammates do not invade or surround the referee, allowing direct conversations to take place, because, if not, the player who ignores the role of his captain will be reprimanded.”
Likewise, if the captain is a goalkeeper, as in the case of the host team, “an outfield player must be designated who can perform this role in the event of an incident at the opposite end of the field of play,” he adds. Rosetti.