'Trios' of referees for Euro 2004
NYON, Switzerland -- UEFA has appointed 12 "trios" of referees to officiate at the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal next year.
The teams feature a referee and two assistant referees all from the same country, and they will work together throughout the tournament, European soccer's governing body said Thursday.
The list of referees is topped by Italy's Pierluigi Collina, who officiated at the World Cup final in Japan last year.
UEFA said the officials picked "as a unit have been active in UEFA competitions already, mainly in the UEFA Champions League, and therefore have a good understanding and experience of working together."
It also appointed four other referees who will act as fourth official.
Two of the referees picked -- Terje Hauge of Norway and Lubos Michel of Slovakia -- are from countries that failed to qualify for the finals.
ll the officials will attend a four-day preparatory seminar in Portugal in April.
It is the first time that UEFA has chosen "trios" of referees. At the 2000 finals in Belgium and the Netherlands it appointed 12 referees and 16 assistants but used them in different combinations.
World soccer body FIFA already has decided to use trios in the next World Cup following complaints about the quality of refereeing at last year's World Cup finals.
That decision was hotly disputed by smaller nations, who fear their nationals will never be chosen because the country is unable to produce three officials of sufficient quality.
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