Sport24.az
FIFA referee Elchin Masiyev was appointed to the final stage matches of the European Championship among teams of football players under 21, which was held in Slovakia in June. The referee team led by him managed the group stage matches Czech Republic - England (1:3) and Georgia - Portugal (0:4). Masiyev was also the reserve referee for the 1/4 final Germany - Italy (3:2) and the semi-final England - Netherlands (2:1) matches.
"We surprised the members of the UEFA Referees Committee for the better." The 33-year-old referee of the I category expressed his views in an interview with the AFFA press service:
- How was your management in the final game of the U-21 European Championship received by the UEFA Referees Committee?
- Our management in the games was at a good level, the committee members of UEFA there expressed positive opinions. Even Byon Kuypers, a member of the UEFA Referees Committee who recently visited Baku, watched the Czech Republic - England game I managed from the stands and evaluated my performance. Although we were not aware of this. After the match, he talked to me about it, said that he liked my management very much and was satisfied.
- You were appointed to the 1/4 and semi-final stages of the tournament. Did you have a chance to be in the final as well?
- Actually, I was a candidate for the final game. I really wanted to participate in the decisive match. As you know, the final match was managed by a Dutch referee. The Dutch national team lost in the semi-finals. If the Dutch national team had qualified for the final, I would most likely have been appointed to the final match. The main thing is that the impressions were good, we were remembered with a successful performance. We surprised the members of the UEFA Referees Committee for the better. If they kept us there until the end, this is also a good indicator.
- What impact can the appointment to the European Championship have on your future career?
- I believe that this factor will be beneficial for our career. I think that this management will have a positive impact on future appointments. We will try to justify the trust shown to us and get appointments to higher-level tournaments.
- What competitions do you mean when you say a higher-level tournament?
- This is the second biggest tournament on the continent after the European Championship for A national teams. We were told that the referees appointed to the U-21 continental championship are in the spotlight and are candidates for the final stage of the European Championship among the main national teams in the future. True, we will still have to go through certain stages to reach that level. One of the main tests was the tournament in Slovakia, and we passed it with flying colors. In the upcoming European Cup season, we will try to get one step closer to the European Championship with confident management.
- In December 2024, you were promoted to category I in FIFA and last month you were appointed to the U-21 European Championship. What are your biggest goals as a referee?
- Every referee's biggest dream is to manage the Champions League final game. My biggest goals are to get appointed to the Champions League, European Championship and World Championship and to manage the final game of these tournaments. We know that it is twice as difficult for representatives of countries like ours. But we will do our best to justify the trust and get appointed to games at that level.
