Referee age limits face the red card

Date: 26/09/02

By Peter Chapman

A BAN on international referees aged above 45 could soon be illegal, Employment Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou has warned soccer's world governing body FIFA.

She said a blanket age ban could be unfair on older referees who might be far fitter and healthier than younger counterparts.

Instead, she favours referees being put through their paces in 'appropriate tests' to ensure they can keep up with the pace of the modern game.

FIFA currently barsreferees who are 45 or over on 1 January from inclusion on a list compiled each year by FIFA's European counterpart, UEFA. But the Greek commissioner said the new rules could fall foul of a directive on workers rights, which comes into force in December.

It states that age bans are allowed only in clear-cut cases where they are 'objectively and reasonably justified by a legitimate aim and if the means of achieving that aim are appropriate and necessary'.

Although both FIFA and UEFA are based in Switzerland, Diamantopoulou said the EU directive would apply to them because their rules controlled EU-based referees and games.

A ban on international referees aged above 45 could soon be illegal, Employment Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou has warned soccer's world governing body FIFA.