Maltese referee Alan Mario Sant yesterday made his debut in the UEFA Under-17 Championship, currently being played in Slovenia, when taking charge of the Group A match between France and Iceland at the Sportni Park in Domzale.

Sant is the only referee chosen from the UEFA Category 3 list, which has a total of 104 officials, while the other five are all from Category 2.

On Tuesday, Sant passed a rigorous FIFA fitness test in preparation for his participation in this Euro U-17 final tournament and was commended for his optimum physical condition, the MFA said in a statement.

“This is a very prestigious ap-pointment as 12 years have now passed since the Malta FA was represented with a referee (not assistant referee) in a final tournament,” the statement said.

Three of the teams that participated in the 2011 final round – the Netherlands (winners), Germany (runners-up) and France – are joined by Poland, Belgium, Iceland, Georgia and hosts Slovenia in the finals this time round.

The top two teams in each group advance to the semis (May 13) with the final scheduled for May 16.

The 2014 U-17 finals tournament will be held in Malta.

Group A: France, Iceland, Georgia, Germany.

Group B: Slovenia, Netherlands, Poland, Belgium.

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