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Dana Cup experience for young ref Luke Xuereb

Published: 10-08-2017 07:00
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Between the 24th and 29th July, young referee Luke Xuereb took part in the Dana Cup 2017 in Hjorring, Denmark, the first time a Maltese referee participated in this prestigious tournament.  In all, there were 290 referees from 17 nations, not only European but as far from New Zealand, USA and Brazil. The tournament saw the participation of 1,071 teams from 41 nations, mainly European – including Pietà Hotspurs Football Nursery – but also from countries like Singapore, Bangladesh, India, Brazil and the USA. Ages ranged from Boys and Girls Under-11 to Boys and Girls Under-19. During the tournament a total of 2,900 matches were played across 70 pitches and in six different localities. Commenting on his first international refereeing experience abroad, Xuereb described it as a successfull tournament where he came across different styles of football (for instance while the Scandinavian players are more technical, Eastern European teams are stronger and work harder to win the ball). It was also one of the most memorable experiences so far in Xuereb’s refereeing career, one he would like to experience again next year as such tournaments surely enrich his standard.