The third episode of ‘Man in the Middle’, released on Monday, begins with knockout phase matches from the 2019/20 season, which were played before Covid-19 restrictions were put in place across Europe. It follows the stories of the referees during the subsequent lockdown, and also hear from UEFA Referees Committee chairman Roberto Rosetti and Belgian sports scientist and UEFA referee fitness expert Werner Helsen. He opens the window on UEFA’s online fitness programme and specific training routines which kept the referees in shape at home, as well as in contact with UEFA.
Werner Helsen: “We were thinking about bringing together the referees and providing some sessions online that they could do at home without any equipment. As a sports scientist, I have access to the most up-to-date knowledge in any area, and in this aspect, I was very fortunate to have access to a number of publications that were very helpful to provide the referees with practical advice on what to do, and maybe even more importantly, what not to do.”
Danny Makkelie: “I kept myself physically and mentally prepared. I have the advantage of having a small gym at home, and therefore I was able to do cardio training on the treadmill and strength training. And I kept myself mentally in shape with video tests from UEFA and the KNVB [Royal Netherlands Football Association].”
Roberto Rosetti: “[The referees] were very responsible. So we were always in contact with them, and they showed us that they are really, really passionate.”
Werner Helsen also provides a wealth of data and information that shows just how fit Europe’s leading referees – sporting athletes in their own right – have to be to officiate at the game’s highest levels: “In these challenging times for the whole world, we now know more than ever that we are interconnected and increasingly reliant on learning from the experience of others and sharing information.”
Clement Turpin: “You know, in each crisis you have opportunities. So it was a new experience, and in this experience there are so many good things to live through. Just a very small thing, but so important: the possibility to have breakfast with my wife and my kids, 35 times successively. The possibility to read a story with them, the possibility to do some different activities outside. I rediscovered many small but such sweet things with my kids and my wife.”
Two roles – same goals
Danny Makkelie: “For me, the two roles of a referee and a police officer are similar, because in both professions you take care of fair play, you need effective communication, you need leadership to de-escalate situations in which everybody is emotionally hot. We need to cooperate; we have to make quick decisions. So the authority of a police officer and a referee is similar.”
Anthony Taylor: “I felt that anybody who was fit and healthy and was able to help in any way, I think it’s the least that anybody could have done.”
Carlos Del Cerro Grande: “I can’t understand why people abuse referees, especially when they are really, really young, they are learning the way to referee, and [people] abuse them. I can’t accept it. I think ‘respect’ is a beautiful word, and everybody in football should understand it and apply it.”
Roberto Rosetti: “The referees are not only people who make decisions on the field of play – but behind the referees, we also want men, also great men. So I’m very happy, I’m very proud of them.”
Source: UEFA