Futsal referees given invaluable advice

The results of the fourth UEFA Course for European International Futsal Referees are extremely positive: from FIFA fitness tests to theoretical sessions, the leading 40 European match officials - 16 of whom will take charge of matches at the UEFA European Futsal Championship in Budapest and Debrecen, Hungary, from 19-30 January next year - have spent three intense and profitable days in the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) technical centre in Coverciano (Florence).

Wonders of Florence
On Tuesday, the match officials were able to admire the wonders of Florence - from the Duomo to Piazza della Signoria, including the Galleria degli Uffizi - during a short walk in Tuscany's main city. On Wednesday morning, punctual as always, they returned to the Aula Magna. Zak Matzusaki, a FIFA futsal instructor, illustrated the evolution of refereeing within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), while UEFA's refereeing administrators gave instructions on match reports and FAME, the UEFA online system.

Highly instructive
The referees agreed that the course had been highly instructive. In particular, they appreciated the DVD analyses, which involved TV images of certain situations. UEFA observers/instructors Andrea Lastrucci (Italy) and Pedro Galán Nieto (Spain) explained the correct decisions to take, while also leaving room for discussion on the various situations in question.

Directives
Match officials emphasised the importance of specific aspects - expressive gestures and positioning, to give two examples - which help referees achieve uniform decision-making. The aims of the course - to further enhance the network of international futsal referees, to give advice on maintaining necessary fitness levels, to exchange viewpoints in working group discussions - were fulfilled.

Maximum efficiency
"I'm satisfied with the organisation and the planning of the course," Lastrucci told uefa.com. "Both the logistical and technical parts of the course were extremely efficient. It was the first time that a UEFA futsal course has been staged in Italy, and this was a cause for pride for the Italian FA. The technical level has grown much in the last six years - and [in Coverciano], the work was made even more satisfying by the fact that the group was here from which the referees will be selected for the European Championship in Hungary." UEFA Referees Committee member Sergey Zuev closed the course and thanked the FIGC federation for the use of their facilities at Coverciano.