August 6 – Former Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere has been appointed to lead the referees department in Azerbaijan, the Azeri FA (AFFA) confirmed.
In a statement on its website, AFFA wrote: “During the last meeting of AFFA Executive Committee held on July 12, 2024, the issue of the chairman of the Referees Committee was discussed, and a positive opinion was given to Belgian Frank de Bleeckere, taking into account his rich international experience and professional activity.
“There was a need to discuss some terms of the contract. Since an agreement was reached on those issues, a 3-year contract was signed with the Belgian FIFA referee.”
His appointment comes a month after he departed Belgium’s refereeing department. Last season, Belgian referees and the VAR faced a lot of scrutiny over controversial decisions. At recent major tournaments, Belgium had no officials representing the country.
De Bleeckere was a referee at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups as well as at Euro 2004 and Euro 2008. He was voted referee of the year in Belgium seven times. Earlier this summer, at Euro 2024, De Bleeckere was an observer for UEFA.
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