Referee Matthew De Gabriele, and assistant referees Theodore Zammit and Dusan Petrovic, are in in Nyon to take part in UEFA’s CORE educational programme.

The course, now in its seventh edition, is aimed at young officials with potential international prospects in the coming years.

Among the participants are officials from Andorra, Croatia, Kosovo, Moldova, Sweden, and Wales as well as a trio from the Confederation of African Football.

During this course, the Maltese officials are being closely monitored by referees’ coach Radan Miryanov (Bulgaria), assistant referee coach Leif Lindberg (Sweden) and physical fitness coaches Werner Helsen (Belgium) and Lluis Cortés Cava (Andorra).

Participants are being given physical training on football pitches and surrounding tracks, technical training and on social topics in conference halls, and have to undergo physical tests – everything under the general guidance of David Elleray (CORE Senior Course Leader), Kyros Vassaras (CORE Instructor) and with the contribution of ten specialists in their specific fields: six referee coaches, two assistant referee coaches and two fitness coaches.

Apart from these theoretical and practical training sessions, as part of the course the Maltese trio took charge of a match from the French Fourth Division between Chasselay MDA and Grenoble Foot which was played last Saturday at the Stade Ludovic Giuly in Chasselay.

In the coming months, De Gabriele, Zammit and Petrovic will keep in regular contact with their coaches so that their progress will be closely monitored.