New Referee Convention members admitted

Two more European national football associations have been admitted to the UEFA Convention on Referee Education and Organisation.

Following ratification by the UEFA Executive Committee at its meeting in Istanbul last month, the associations of Montenegro and Kazakhstan have joined the convention, which now has 49 full members, with Liechtenstein the one partial member. The Referee Convention is in operation until 2015/16.

The Referee Convention aims to enhance referee education, promoting the role of the match official and improving refereeing structures and development within Europe. When they sign the convention, associations subscribe to a development plan for refereeing and become entitled to receive a financial contribution for their work, as well as further annual payments as long as the required standards are maintained.