Idman.biz
FIFA referee Elchin Masiyev has been appointed to the final stage matches of the European Championship among teams consisting 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 a reserve referee in the 1/4 final Germany – Italy (3:2) and the semi-final England – Netherlands (2:1) matches.
Idman.biz reports that the 33-year-old referee of the I category expressed his opinion 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, and the committee members of UEFA there voiced 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. However, 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?
- 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, and we were remembered with a successful performance. We pleasantly surprised the members of the UEFA Referees Committee. It is a good indicator that they kept us there until the end.
- 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 live up to 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 largest tournament on the continent after the European Championship of 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. It is true that 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 successfully. In the upcoming Eurocup 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 final game of the Champions League. My biggest goals are to get appointments to the Champions League, the European Championship and the World Championship and to manage the final game of these tournaments. We know that this is twice as difficult for representatives of countries like ours. However, we will do our best to live up to the trust and get appointments to games at that level.
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