Darko Čeferin appointed head of the refereeing organization of the BiH Football Association

(Patria) - Today in Sarajevo, under the chairmanship of the President of the BiH Football Association, Vice Zeljković, the 6th session of the Executive Board of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held. Among other things, a decision was made at the session to appoint Darko Čeferin as the head of the refereeing organization of the BiH Football Association.

The former international referee from Slovenia will take over the management of the refereeing organization within the BiH Football Association, and his mandate will include delegating referees for matches of the WWin BiH League and youth competitions, delegating VAR and AVAR referees, delegating controllers, coordinating all activities related to the education and professional development of referees, and finally, evaluating referees and controllers in these league matches. Mr. Čeferin will work on improvement and innovation within the refereeing organization, raising standards in the work of this organization, implementing the latest professional methods, and aligning the system with current international practices.

The BiH Football Association, in coordination with UEFA, has entrusted Darko Čeferin (born July 11, 1968), an experienced FIFA-badge referee (from 2000 to 2013), to become the chief operative in our association's refereeing organization. He refereed a large number of UEFA Champions League matches and other club competitions, as well as World Cup qualifiers in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He officiated in Euro qualifiers in 2004, 2008, and 2012. At the 2002 European Championship for players under 19 years of age, he refereed the final between Spain and Germany.

The President of the BiH Football Association, Vico Zeljković, stated on the occasion of Darko Čeferin's appointment:

"I am pleased that in the coming period we will have the opportunity to cooperate with one of the most respected members of the refereeing profession in the region. The appointment of Darko Čeferin represents an important link in strengthening the work of our refereeing organization. This raises the level of standards in refereeing. I am convinced that his work will contribute to even higher quality training of new refereeing staff, professional education of young referees, and improvement of the quality of refereeing in all our competitions. This is a significant step in the further development of Bosnian-Herzegovinian football. I must emphasize that Mr. Čeferin has been given full autonomy in his work for the tasks entrusted to him."

Darko Čeferin stated after his appointment:

"I thank the Executive Board of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and President Vico Zeljković for the trust shown and the opportunity to take over the management of the refereeing organization of the BiH Football Association. I accept this position with great responsibility and a clear intention to contribute to the further development and professionalization of refereeing in Bosnia and Herzegovina," says Čeferin and continues:

"In cooperation with all structures within the Association, as well as with UEFA, I will focus on raising the quality of referee education and training, strengthening professional work, introducing modern methods and standards, and creating conditions for the advancement of young refereeing talents. I am convinced that through systematic and transparent work, we can achieve significant progress, both at the level of domestic competitions and in creating prerequisites for the international affirmation of referees from BiH. I look forward to cooperating with all stakeholders in the football community in BiH and believe that through joint efforts we will contribute to a higher level of refereeing quality, and thus to the development of Bosnian-Herzegovinian football as a whole."