With World Cup referee Stéphanie Frappart and English top referee Michael Oliver as advertising figures, UEFA wants to combat the lack of referees throughout Europe.
The Continental Football Association in Monaco has announced that 40,000 new referees are to be recruited per season.
This number is missing to ensure match operations in the lower leagues, noted UEFA refereeing chief Roberto Rosetti when presenting the “Be a referee” program (“Be a referee”). “It is vital to the lifeblood of European football,” said the Italian.
Frappart, who led the German group game against Costa Rica (4:2) at the World Cup in Qatar, appears in a promotional video for the campaign like Oliver. According to Rosetti, national federations would also be encouraged to recruit former players for the role of referee.