Two young Maltese referees, Ishmael Barbara and Alex Johnson, are currently in England officiating matches following an agreement of collaboration reached between English Referees General Manager Mike Riley and Malta FA Director of Refereeing Adrian Casha.

Barbara, 20, and Johnson, 22, are controlling matches from the Nike Youth Tournament for Premier League clubs at St George’s Park, the English FA’s National Football Centre at Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire.

Barbara’s first matches were West Bromwich vs Arsenal and Stoke City vs Fulham.

Johnson was in charge of the Everton vs Newcastle United match.

The other referees in the tournament are all from England, including well-known officials Howard Webb, Marc Clattenburg, Martin Atkinson, Mike Dean, Michael Oliver and Kevin Friend.

Barbara and Johnson are being assisted by officials provided by the Cornwall Referees’ Academy. Their performances are being assessed by referee observers from the English FA.

Both Barbara and Johnson are undergoing a two- year Referees Talent and Mentor Programme under the tutelage of former referee Alexander Spiteri.

In a statement issued by the Malta Football Association yesterday, Barbara said he was thrilled to be taking part in such a professionally-run tournament outside Maltese shores.

“I hope that our presence here will pave the way for other of our colleagues to benefit from such an opportunity in future,” he said.

Johnson added: “This is an excellent learning experience – I am so excited and grateful to the Malta FA for the opportunity that we have been given.”