Report.az
FIFA referee Elchin Masiyev has been appointed to the final stage matches of the European Championship among teams of football players under 21 years old, which was held in Slovakia in June. The refereeing team led by him officiated the Czech Republic - England (1:3) and Georgia - Portugal (0:4) matches in the group stage. 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 on the good side."
The 33-year-old referee of the I category expressed his opinion in an interview with the AFFA press service:
- How was your management of 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 from 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 refereed from the stands and evaluated my performance. However, we were unaware 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?
- 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 officiated 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, and we were remembered with a successful performance. We surprised the members of the UEFA Referees Committee on the good side. 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 by higher-level tournaments?
- This is the second largest tournament in the continent after the European Championship of A national teams. We were told that referees appointed to the U-21 continental championship are in the spotlight and are candidates for the final stage of the European Championship among major 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 at FIFA and last month you were appointed to the U-21 European Championship. What are your biggest goals as a referee?
- The biggest dream of every referee is to officiate the final game of the Champions League. My biggest goals are also to get appointed to the Champions League, the European Championship and the World Championship and to officiate 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 appointments to games at that level.
