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With the men’s World Cup referee Stephanie Frappart and the English top referee Michael Oliver as advertising figures, the European Football Association (UEFA) wants to combat the lack of referees throughout Europe. UEFA announced on Wednesday in Monaco that 40,000 new referees are to be recruited per season.
UEFA chief referee Roberto Rosetti noted that this number is not required to ensure that matches can continue in the lower leagues when he presented the “Be a referee” program. “It is vital to the lifeblood of European football,” said the Italian. According to Rosetti, national federations would also be encouraged to recruit former players for the role of referee.