UEFA director for refereeing Roberto Rosetti has explained how Europe’s top officials have been preparing to hit the ground running at UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. Rosetti was speaking at a pre-tournament media briefing, where he introduced the officials before outlining some of the key directives and new laws of the game coming into effect at the tournament. "These are not only the best referees for this tournament, but also among the elite in Europe, and indeed, the world," said Rosetti. "You'll see on the pitch that our referees are very well prepared," he said of the team, which is made up of 13 referees, three reserve referees, alongside 24 assistant referees and 16 VARs. "Just one year ago, I challenged our referees, I stressed to them to rethink their level and increase their physical preparation. Today, I am very proud. Every one of them has passed the men’s fitness test. And believe me, that is not easy."
Rosetti stressed the importance of communication to the smooth and effective officiating of the tournament. Members of the UEFA referee committee visited all participating national teams ahead of the tournament to share the guidelines officials are receiving, ensuring all players and coaches are fully aware of what to expect. In addition, the guidance stipulating that only team captains can approach the referee – successfully introduced at EURO 2024 and now implemented in the laws of the game – will feature again. Teams will be reminded of the approach in their pre-match briefings with referees. Implemented at this summer’s men's and women's UEFA Under-19 and Under-21 tournaments, the new goalkeeper time limit will be in force at Women’s EURO 2025. Under the new law, if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds, the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team. UEFA’s guidelines for referees include that the countdown begins when the goalkeeper has full control of the ball and is not being challenged by an opposing player.
The same technology used to support referees at the men’s EURO 2024 will be deployed at Women’s EURO. This includes VAR, goal-line technology, and for the first time semi-automated offside and connected ball technology. The tournament’s 16 VARs, all with experience in UEFA competitions, will operate from a remote centre at UEFA HQ in Nyon – the same one used for UEFA Champions League matches. "We believe that VAR is fundamental in modern football, but we want strong referees on the pitch taking decisions," explained Rosetti. "VAR must only be a parachute to help referees. It cannot be a replacement for referees, and the final decision will always be taken by the referee, with clear evidence for clear mistakes. Introduced at EURO 2024, technical explanations for VAR decisions will be provided to broadcasters and shown on big screens inside the stadiums. For the first time, these explanations will also be published to a dedicated page on UEFA.com the day after the match.
