Espen Eskas is feeling a new and fresh sense of achievement on his refereeing pathway with his appointment for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final on Saturday. The 35-year-old Norwegian match official, the man in the middle for the much-anticipated encounter between England and Spain at the Batumi Arena in Georgia, is no stranger to big final occasions. Four years ago, he officiated the European U-17 Championship final between the Netherlands and Italy in Dublin – and this weekend’s big game caps an impressive season for the law and sports management graduate from the suburbs of Oslo. In addition to his excellent performances at the U-21 finals in Georgia and Romania, Eskås – who gained his international badge in 2017 – also made his UEFA Champions League group stage debut when he took charge of the Group F match between Leipzig and Celtic last October. Further, recent world and European club and national team assignments have kept Eskas on an upward career curve – and he is relishing the opportunity to add Saturday’s event to his burgeoning refereeing CV. “I’m proud and looking forward to the final,” he told UEFA.com. “I feel particularly humble because of the quality of the referees that I’ve shared the last three weeks with at this tournament.”
Norway’s referee heritage
Eskas is also aware of the honour that he is bringing to Norwegian refereeing, having sharpened his skills by looking, listening and learning from high-profile ex-referee compatriots such as Rune Pedersen, Terje Hauge and Tom Henning Ovrebo – all of whom handled matches at the very highest international levels. “In Norway, we’re very proud of our former top referees,” he explained. “I’ve worked closely with them over the years – they’re role models to look up to, and they’ve given great support to help the current referees in Norway make progress.” Eskas, who has celebrated his 35th birthday during the current U-21 finals, took up the refereeing ‘trade’ as a teenager in 2004. “It all started when I realised that I didn’t have the skills to make it as a footballer, but I still had a desire to stay inside football. I was introduced to refereeing by a colleague of my father, and soon knew that it was for me – and I never looked back from that moment.” Having caught the refereeing bug, Eskas’ love of the job has never waned. “It's all about walking out on the pitch trying to create a positive environment for all participants,” he said. “There’s no better sensation than when you feel you’ve had a successful match, and you can return to the dressing-room and shake hands with your team at a job well done.”
‘Be comfortable – be yourself’
Eskas has watched all of the top match officials over the years in honing his refereeing style, but he insists that ‘being yourself’ is the key asset, both on and off the field of play. “You must be comfortable in your environment, and there must be mutual trust within your team,” he explained. “Football is demanding; the game is getting faster, so you need to be ready and prepared. You must be a manager of people on the field, have the ability to communicate with players, and show that you’re strong and able to take critical decisions. It’s also true that you learn so many skills as a referee that stay with you for life.” Eskas cherishes precious time away from the field with family and friends. “I think it’s important that you profit from these free moments within a busy refereeing schedule,” he said. “Because the time soon comes around again when you’re preparing for and travelling to another assignment.”
‘Part of a special occasion’
Two Norwegian assistant referees – Jan Erik Engan and Isaak Elias Bashevkin – will accompany Eskas on Saturday, together with fourth official Rade Obrenović (Slovenia). Germany’s Christian Dingert will serve as the video assistant referee (VAR). Fully aware of the importance and stakes of Saturday’s big occasion, Eskas and his team will prepare for the U-21 final in the same way as for every assignment. “There’ll be nothing special,” he said. “We’ll try to do everything as normal, and make sure that we’re in the best possible shape to give our best. We were thrilled when we learned about our appointment, but we started straight away again on doing the same things that we’ve done throughout the entire tournament. We’ll nevertheless take time to enjoy the moment on Saturday,” Eskas reflected, “because you know that you’re part of a special occasion. When you start refereeing, you’re doing it as a hobby, and you don’t really think about reaching higher levels at that stage. But we’ve managed to get to where we are today, and we're extremely proud of what’s been an amazing journey for us so far”. (Source: UEFA)
8 July 2023
England – Spain
Referee: Espen Eskas (NOR)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan (NOR)Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin (NOR)
Fourth Official: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
Reserve AR: Grega Kordež (SVN)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
AVAR 1: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
AVAR 2: Tiago Martins (POR)
Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)
