The role of the UEFA Referee Liaison Officer

Ensuring great football nights under the stars of UEFA Champions League, respectively within UEFA Europa League and other UEFA organized competitions requires more than 90 minutes of play. One of the many aspects of match organization is fulfilled by the UEFA Referee Liaison Officer.

As the term "liaison", springing from the French language, already insinuates, his task is the general coordination of the match officials' appearance and a deep relation with the attendant officials including referees, UEFA referee observer and UEFA delegate in the country and later at the venue where the pending match will take place. Until 1998, the home club was responsible for guaranteeing a hitch-free sojourn of them within the country, respectively town and stadium. Now, the home association is responsible for appointing a Referee Liaison Officer, with that person having to be active in refereeing within the Association.

The National Association is required to arrange hotel accommodation for two nights for the UEFA Delegate (who is looked after by the home club), the Referee Observer, the match officials and the Referee Liaison Officer. The hotel should not be one used by either team playing the match. A people carrier is provided to the Referee Liaison Officer for transporting his “guests” around.  UEFA makes a set financial contribution to cover the costs of hotel accommodation, meals and transport and other expenses.

The Referee Liaison Officer is responsible for meeting the match officials and Referee Observer and on their arrival the day prior to the match and he will take care of them until their departure the day following the game. He has to provide full assistance to the referee team, moreover, his task is ranging from picking the officials from the airport to the hotel to providing them dinner, things like a pool and generally coordinating the officials' leisure time by sight-seeing etc. A standard element is taking them to the organizational meeting held at the match venue on the morning of the game.

UEFA’s preference is for the same person to act as the Referee Liaison Officer for all the matches played by a club during the season to ensure continuity and the development of experience and knowledge.

partial source: Scottish FA