Imagine the scenario. Three minutes of added time have just been signalled by the fourth official and the score between Sliema Wanderers and Birkirkara - to cite the current front runners in the Maltese Premier League - is locked at 0-0.

A Sliema striker darts into the Birkirkara box but tumbles to the ground when challenged by an opposing defender. Cue vociferous protests by the Sliema players but the referee waves play on.

The infuriated fans jeer the referee for his decision but the Birkirkara faithful are also having a go at the man in the middle, demanding that he cautions the Sliema man for simulation.

Such instances - a common occurrence in football matches - contribute to highlight the delicate nature of refereeing. Referees, whose every move and decision are subject to intense media scrutiny, often find themselves in a no-win situation, hounded by fans and players of the two teams involved in a football match.

Notwithstanding the conspicuous lack of appreciation for the important role of the referee in the Beautiful Game, officials derive pride from their careers.

Adrian Casha, 34, has had his fair share of criticism this season - remember that Harry Potter jibe by Valletta president Joe Caruana Curran after a highly-charged first round derby against Floriana - but his performances of late have cemented his reputation as one of the most consistent referees around.

His recent appointment as FIFA referee testifies to Casha's progress which he puts down to perseverance and dedication. But how was Casha lured to refereeing?

"I was reading The Times at my family's holiday flat when I came across a 'call for referees' notice," Casha recalled when I met him a few weeks ago.

"To be honest, at the time I was not particularly keen on refereeing, especially after I witnessed an unsavoury incident during a Mosta tournament match when referee Lorry Sammut was assaulted by fans.

"However, after reflecting long and hard on the matter, I decided to answer the call because I have always been an ardent football fan.

"I was 22 at the time. Today, I realise that I would have started earlier had it not been for that despicable incident which is still imprinted on my mind.

"Nowadays, the referee enjoys much more protection thanks to the efforts of the Malta Football Referees' Association (MFRA) in collaboration with the MFA. In fact, a referee can choose not to control a match if he feels that there is inadequate security, particularly in a small ground," Casha added.

Refereeing was in turmoil when Casha decided to attend his first course in September, 1990.

"A dispute between the MFRA and the Malta FA led to a strike by local referees.

"Foreign referees were flown over to officiate local matches. It was a difficult time but I believe that a lot of good has come out of that crisis. The MFA understood that referees deserved better protection and better pay for their services," Casha said.

It did not take Casha long to establish himself as one of the leading assistant referees, his rise also earning him a place on the FIFA assistant referees' list between 1997 and 1998.

A FIFA appointment is the ultimate ambition but Casha says he is not the type to rest on his laurels. His desire to advance and to have a more influential role in the game prompted him to seek a new challenge.

"Switching from assistant referee to referee was the biggest decision of my career," Casha said. "I had already established myself as one of the leading assistant referees here but deep down, I felt that I had the ability to control the game.

"That is not to say that the assistant referee's role is not demanding and rewarding because I believe that it is an art that requires specific techniques. My experience as assistant referee stood me in good stead during that transition period. It helped me to mature and to understand better what an assistant referee is thinking and feeling in certain situations," Casha said.

Casha's perseverance had been the key to his rise from a class three to a first class official.

Eyeing the top

His eyes were now set on becoming one of the top 10 Premier League referees and his dream came true on February 13, 2000 when he made his top-flight debut in the match between Sliema Wanderers and Rabat Ajax.

"Some people queried the wisdom behind my decision to switch from assistant referee to referee. I spent one season officiating in Division One before I was given my Premier League debut in 2000," Casha said.

Three years on, Casha has made his international debut as a FIFA referee in European Under-17 Championship (Group Seven) in Belgium last month. Assistant referee Joe Rapa, another Maltese official on FIFA's international panel, also officiated in the tournament which featured hosts Belgium, Italy, Germany and Azerbaijan.

In January, Casha also attended the 12th UEFA Introductory Course for International Referees in Corfù. The other Maltese referees on the FIFA list are Anton Zammit, Joe Attard and Lorry Sammut.

In his three years of refereeing, Casha has striven to project himself as an authoritative but fair official who tries to maintain a good relationship with the players.

"My relationship with the players is one of mutual respect," Casha remarked. "Knowing that players are under immense pressure to do well in games, I firmly believe that a referee should not give the impression that he is too detached from them. One cannot issue a yellow card for the slightest infringement because that would only serve to complicate matters.

"I prefer to communicate with the players and I feel that most of them respect me for that. After all the definition of refereeing is - "Refereeing is thinking'," Casha said.

Referees and the media is another sensitive subject, especially nowadays when, with so much money at stake in international football, the performances of the game officials are literally dissected by match commentators and TV analysts.

In Malta, the relationship between journalists and the referees is neither strained nor rosy but that is perhaps due to the fact that officials cannot be consulted after games to explain decisions which may have given way to some controversy.

"A referee cannot comment on decisions but I believe that on most occasions, he would wish to explain his actions. Having said that, I accept that such a scenario may also create problems to referees.

"I admit that referees do make incorrect decisions at times because, after all, they are human beings. But, overall, the criticism they receive from the media and the fans is often unfair," Casha said.

International opportunities for Maltese referees have increased significantly over the past years, a fact boldly underlined by Emmanuel Zammit's participation in the 1998 World Cup finals in France.

Hard work and dedication are the main reasons for the improvement of referees but Casha also singles out the influential role of Malta FA president Joe Mifsud within UEFA as another key factor for enhancing the international recognition of Maltese officials.

"Dr Mifsud has put us on the map," Casha said. "He was the architect behind the refereeing reforms in the 90s and as chairman of the referees' board in Malta, he has always worked to improve this sector. You only have to look at the list of initiatives implemented by the MFA to see the commitment towards refereeing."

Referees in the top pool practise three times a week at the Ta' Qali training grounds under the guidance of coach Euchar Grech. Meetings are held every fortnight to analyse those decisions highlighted during TV sports programmes.

Casha, who describes himself as a meticulous and calm person who is constantly seeking to put into practice FIFA's slogan of Fair Play, says referees are constantly being urged to lay more emphasis on preparation.

"A referee has to be well prepared, physically and mentally. A lot of hours go into preparation.

"After every game, we analyse our performance as a team and the referee has to fill in a detailed self-assessment report which must be mailed to the MFA within 48 hours of the match.

"Every performance is gauged by the match inspector who also prepares a performance-evaluation report, a copy of which is also sent to the referee in question. Furthermore, another initiative whereby every referee is assigned a personal mentor has been in place since October.

"Our personal mentors are former referees and I believe that there is no-one better qualified to help a referee than a person who has been in the same position before. My mentor is Paul Bonett, himself a former FIFA referee.

"This initiative has also been implemented by UEFA who have the Talents and Mentors' Programme," Casha added.

The profile of Maltese football has diminished significantly in the last decade or so but my interview with Casha strengthened my conviction that other parties in the equation, like the match officials, have not allowed this decline to tarnish their enthusiasm for the game.

Casha's detailed outline of the efforts made by officials to maintain and lift standards has enhanced my appreciation of refereeing but I feel that the overall esteem for them has not reached the desirable levels.

Casha feels the same way.

"The work of match officials is not appreciated enough here and that makes me a bit disappointed," Casha said.

"Being a referee or an assistant referee is more like a full-time job but our income is meagre when one takes into account the hours we devote to it," Casha said.

Ambitions

Lack of appreciation, insufficient income and a barrage of criticism... the picture does not look particularly encouraging. So what motivates Casha to continue?

"I do it for the love of the game as proved by our motto... 'For the service of the game'.

"Personally, my ongoing ambition is to improve. Charles Agius, one of the Maltese referees I have always admired, once told me - 'It's difficult to reach the top but it's more difficult to remain there'.

"Those words are still vivid in my mind, providing me with a reminder of my duty to keep working hard to learn and improve.

"I want to become a better referee but I also have other ambitions. Everyone of us wants to be involved in the big games and in Malta, I think occasions do not come any bigger than the FA Trophy final.

"On an international level, I would love to receive a prestigious appointment in the future," Casha said.