On Monday, August 23, a regular meeting of the Football press-club took place in the House of Football. Leading sport journalists and Ukrainian referees’ supervisor Pierluigi Collina discussed the question of reformation of the Ukrainian referee's body.

New structure

During an opening speech Italian specialist reminded which tasks he will try to solve while working in Ukraine. “The main aim is to build an arbitration system, which will work in accordance with appropriate norms of the UEFA and FIFA. First of all, these regulations concern to an independence and autonomy of the football referees’ body. The second is a necessity to unite referees, their assistants and inspectors“, - said Collina.

Matches’ review

When answering the questions of the journalists Pierluigi Collina told them that during the first month of his work in a new post he has watched all 32 matches of the Ukrainian Premier League which had been played by that moment. “Now I visit the matches of the championship personally. Besides this I monitor carefully all the publications in mass-media as to Ukrainian football. This helps me to understand better the processes, which happen here“, - said Italian specialist.

Physical tests

“I have got acquainted with Ukrainian referees very well, because we have held a succession of meetings. In order to lean their physical conditions we have had very important tests in the University of physical training and sport. According to the results of the tests every referee was proposed an individual training program. In future we plan to get full information about physical conditions of all referees of the Premier League, because now referee has to be one hundred per cent ready in the terms of a high-speed football“, - he underlined.

Discrediting of football

The participants of the meeting paid a lot of attention to the displays of aggression concerning the referees by fans and separate football leaders. “Of course, such incidents, which I saw in Dnepropetrovsk sadden me. I don’t have the right to press my point of view on the disciplinary bodies, but I can tell them my own opinion as to this or that incident, - stressed Pierluigi Collina. - I would also like to ask the journalists to take note in their materials not only of the referees’ work, but also of the pressure at them, which is often made by club officials, coaches and players. You have to the first to mention that such behavior is unacceptable, because it discredits all Ukrainian football.