From February 12 to 16 in Uzhhorod, within the preparation of officials for working at matches during the spring part of the 2023/2024 season, a training and educational camp for Premier League referees and assistant referees took place.

Thirty-one referees and forty-one assistant referees participated in the preparation to resume the football campaign. Over five days, they worked on theoretical and practical sessions under the guidance of the head expert of refereeing at the UAF, Nicola Rizzoli, FIFA instructors Viktor Darda and Vladimir Petrov, as well as other members of the Referees Committee of the UAF.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

On February 13, President of the UAF Andriy Shevchenko met with Premier League referees and assistant referees who were attending the camp. During the meeting, the head of the national association emphasized that it is necessary to regain trust in the UAF as a whole and specifically among football officials.

At the beginning of the training camp, officials honored fallen soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a moment of silence, recognizing their sacrifice for allowing Ukrainian football to continue. The head of the Referees Committee at the UAF, Luciano Luca, specifically highlighted the need for strict adherence to the state language during upcoming matches and exemplary behavior outside the field.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

After pedagogical testing on the Laws of the Game and a UEFA video test, Premier League referees and assistant referees participated in eleven theoretical sessions, addressing FIFA, UEFA, and UAF requirements regarding various game situations such as handball, reckless challenges, offside, clear goal scoring opportunities, penalty kick incidents, etc.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

A particular focus of the training and educational work was on VAR usage and recommendations from experts regarding the use of video assistant referees in game situations that occurred during the first part of the 2023/2024 season. A separate lecture was dedicated to teamwork among referees and assistant referees, discussing decisions made in various game situations.

Following theoretical sessions, as tradition dictates, officials were tested by FIFA on their physical fitness on the field. Within the practical part of the camp, referees successfully completed the Yo-Yo test, while assistant referees passed the Ariet test.