FIFA referees Esther Azzopardi and Kevin Azzopardi are currently in Rome to take part in UEFA annual winter courses. Starting yesterday, the two courses will come to an end on Thursday.

Esther Azzopardi is attending the 21st UEFA advanced course for top male and female referees.

Participants will receive instructions from Referees Committee members in preparation for their upcoming assignments in the Champions League and Europa League knock-out stages which resume in mid-February.

The principal aim is to achieve consistency and uniformity in decision-making.

Kevin Azzopardi is participating in the 22nd UEFA intro-ductory course for international referees appointed in 2013.

Newly-appointed international referees will be prepared for their first official experience vis-a-vis their responsibilities at European level.

Some of the participants have already attended courses at the UEFA Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) in Nyon.

The FIFA novices will undertake a medical check-up and take the FIFA fitness test. They will also attend lectures by UEFA administration on matters such as writing reports and how to conduct themselves at matches.

The course contains presentations by Referees Committee members and video sessions analysing specially prepared footage from UEFA games over the past year.

Participants will also learn about specific training sessions, including exercises relevant to their positioning and movement during a match.

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