Last month, Football Victoria held a workshop via video conference for the NPL/NPLW referee community, with a very special guest.
Viktor Kassai, current Head of Refereeing in Russia, has a list of achievements that would inspire any match official. Kassai has worked extensively in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Euro 2016, including multiple finals matches.
Kassai has also notched up an Olympic Games Final in 2008 and FIFA World Cup Semi-Final in 2010 – and holds the enviable accolade of “Best Referee in the World 2011”, awarded by IFFHS.
FV’s connection with Kassai comes through FV Referee Development Manager and fellow Hungarian Michael Fabian, who officiated many UEFA Champions League matches as an additional assistant referee on the goal line with Viktor, including the Final in 2011.
The workshop, facilitated by Football Victoria Head of Referees, Luke Brennan, provided a platform for Kassai to share his fascinating football story with members of FV’s referee community.
In addition to hearing from Kassai, participants were given the opportunity to analyse educational clips together , receiving valuable insights from Kassai’s opinion of each incident.
Referee Astro Sakalis was thrilled to take part.
“To have someone of Viktor Kassai’s calibre interacting and answering our questions was a great experience. The insight I personally gained in regards to scenario analysis and behind the scenes preparation was invaluable. His mantra that it takes strength to recognise mistakes reiterates the important mental aspect of refereeing.”
Referee Caitlin Williams took a lot of valuable information away from the session.
“We were very fortunate to be able to draw from Viktor's extensive experience. In particular, what resonated with me was the importance of approaching games with a positive mindset. He emphasised that preparing well during the week can help to reduce pressure on game days.”
Football Victoria were pleased to be able to provide this educational session to our community and look forward to being able to provide our community with more opportunities to learn from leaders across the world game.