A group of Maltese referees headed to Bulgaria yesterday for a FIFA pre-season seminar in Sliven between today and next Monday.
In a meeting with the media yesterday, Malta FA CEO Bjorn Vassallo said efficient control of matches was essential in our game and such initiatives, where referees share their knowledge and experiences with others from different countries, were not to be missed.
“The refereeing sector forms an integral part in our football family and the MFA is committed to do everything in its power to provide incentives of this kind for our match officials,” Vassallo said.
“This seminar should be of a huge benefit to those attending.
“Besides, our officials will not only have the opportunity to delve very deeply into the rules of the game but they will also step up their physical preparation at this early stage of the new season.”
The MFA contingent is composed of 18 referees, 15 assistant referees and 11 observers. They will conduct a short training camp in Sliven under the charge of trainer Ronald Zammit.
The seminar will have top English referee Steve Bennett as main speaker.
He is currently a match observer for both FIFA and UEFA.
Maltese instructors Adrian Casha, Saviour Darmanin, Gateano DeGabriele, Tom A. Restall, Victor Mintoff and Philip Agius will also address the participants.
Casha, chairman Referees Department, said there will be a wealth of good advice at the seminar.
“This is another landmark occasion for football referees,” Casha said.
“Having someone of Steve Bennett’s calibre conducting talks adds more prestige to the event. I’m in no doubt that we all have a lot to gain from this experience in Bulgaria.”
Casha said the level of refereeing in our competitions is appreciated outside the country and was mirrored in the three appointments assigned to Maltese refs for the upcoming programme of internationals on August 15.
Marco Borg will referee the friendly between Wales and Bosnia in Cardiff and he will be assisted by Konrad Borg and Chris Francalanza.
Chris Lautier will be the referee for Bulgaria-Cyprus, another friendly, with the assistance from the lines of Mariano Debono and William Debattista.
Also next week, Alan Mario Sant will take charge of the Under-21 friendly between the Netherlands and Italy. The linesmen in Leeuwarden will be Alan Camilleri and Edward Spiteri.
Meanwhile, Casha said the Malta Football Referees Association will embark on a series of exchange programmes in the coming months involving Maltese officials and those from the national football associations of Wales, Luxembourg and Northern Ireland.
“This is the way to go for us to make progress,” Casha said.
“We have to seek the best possible avenues there are for our match officials to continue improving standards.
“This week’s seminar will be another useful experience and hopefully other exercises, similar to the one in Bulgaria, will follow in the coming months.”