The final meeting of the Wirral RA takes place on Thursday 14th May - At Lairds Club - Starting at 7:45pm.

A interactive training topic will be taken by Jack.

Anyone who has not yet submitted their membership forms are kindly asked to complete them and bring them along with a cheque made payable to Wirral Referees Society, to the meeting on Thursday. This will ensure you are covered for the new season.

Membership Forms can be downloaded here

The Ivorian and several team-mates surrounded Ovrebo after Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Barcelona, with Drogba clearly swearing at the Norwegian.
In a statement issued by the club Drogba admitted he overreacted.

"In the heat of the moment I let out my huge frustration and disappointment and for that I apologise," he said.

The 31-year-old continued his verbal attack on the match officials even after being booked, and had to be restrained as Ovrebo went down the tunnel.

"I was very upset at what happened during the game," added Drogba.

Taylor calls for Uefa to use video evidence

"I also fully accept that the language I used did not set a good example for those watching at home, especially children."

Chelsea were unhappy that a number of penalty appeals were turned down by Ovrebo, before and after Andres Iniesta's dramatic injury-time strike that sent Barcelona through on the away goal's rule into a final against Manchester United in Rome on 27 May.

"Chelsea welcomes Didier's statement which was made honestly and after reflection," said Chelsea in a statement.

"We are all acutely aware of the responsibilities that lie with both the club and its players towards setting a good example as role models.

"While it is clear that some of the events were regrettable, they occurred only because of the high emotions and frustrations which arose from the disappointment of a controversial defeat in such an important game.

"We made representations to Uefa immediately after the game and we await their comments following a review of the match officials' report."

European governing body Uefa is expected to punish Drogba for his behaviour within the next 24 hours.

"It is not acceptable," Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It will have to be punished [by Uefa]. But having been a player, you knew where Drogba was coming from."

Taylor also suggested the Chelsea staff could have done more to defuse the situation.

"You could see there were going to be problems at the end of the game and that's why stewards and security should have been very careful to make sure that no-one got near the referee," he said.

A Uefa spokesman refused to confirm whether Drogba or Chelsea will face reprimands, saying: "We will see the report from the referee and match delegate before deciding whether to take any action."

Blues captain John Terry, who also strongly remonstrated with Ovrebo, defended the reactions of the Chelsea players and Drogba in particular.

"I am fully behind Didier for the way he reacted," declared Terry. "The man wants to win. You can see the passion that he played with during the game and the passion afterwards.

"People are saying we shouldn't have reacted the way we did but the fact is, six decisions went against us in front of 40,000 people. And for the ref to not give one of them is unusual."

The central defender also condemned the decision to select Ovrebo for such a high-profile tie.

Taylor added that the controversy over Ovrebo's performance, which also saw him controversially send off Barca's Eric Abidal, underlined the need to use video technology to aid match officials.

"It is too much pressure on the referee," he claimed.

"I don't understand why they don't make use of technology to make sure decisions are right. It is used in other sports and used well."

Meanwhile, defender Jose Bosingwa issued a statement on Thursday to retract comments made in a Portuguese TV interview in which he described Ovrebo as a "thief".

Bosingwa said: "We were all very disappointed and frustrated after the game, but I regret describing the referee as a thief.

"Having had some time to reflect, I would like to withdraw those comments."

Fletcher was given a straight red card for an adjudged foul on Cesc Fabregas in the box as United won the second leg of the Champions League semi-final 3-1.
Uefa has confirmed that no appeal can be made against the decision, no matter what the referee says in his report.
United will face Chelsea or Barcelona in the final in Rome on 27 May.
"Manchester United have the right to protest the decision within 24 hours of the match," said a Uefa spokesman.
"However, the protest is only admissible if the referee made an error and mistakenly identified and cautioned or sent off the wrong player.
"There cannot be an appeal against a factual decision taken by the referee and there is nothing to indicate that the referee made a mistake in identifying Fletcher as the player he penalised last night."
Early goals killed off game - Ferguson
After Tuesday's game, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described the prospect of Fletcher missing out on the final as "a tragedy" but did not criticise Italian referee Roberto Rosetti.
"You can see the ball has moved in a different direction but we shouldn't ask the referee," stated Ferguson.
"He's competent and fair enough to look at it himself possibly. Apparently, you can't appeal and if that's the case it's disappointing for the boy.
"Darren's one of the most honest players in the game and to miss the final is a tragedy."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also insisted the red card was "very harsh" after television pictures showed Fletcher played the ball cleanly.

Back in September, New Zealand Referee Peter O’Leary, on a 10 day visit from his home country, got more than he bargained for when he found himself replacing fourth official Steve Bennett in the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Sunderland.

To further strengthen the ties between the PGMOL and the New Zealand Football Association we were delighted to have a visit from FIFA Referee Michael Hester and Chairman of the New Zealand Referees’ Committee Rod Pelosi.

Pelosi was so impressed with what the FIFA Referee O’Leary managed to take away from his time in England that he wanted to return to the country and allow Michael to experience the same:

“The development for Peter was immense just mixing with the English Referees was superb,” said the New Zealand Referees’ Committee Chairman.
 
The pair have been able to witness at first hand how the Select Group Referees train and prepare for games. It proved a valuable and eye-opening trip for both of them.

Hester, who like Howard Webb has been selected for the Confederations’ Cup in South Africa, later in the year, has officiated two Premier League Reserve games whilst in the UK and Pelosi credited the involvement of PGMOL General Manager Keith Hackett for allowing Hester to take charge of these matches, and said the experience was enjoyed by all:

“We decided that it would be great if Michael could be involved in actual games so Keith was able to arrange for him to officiate in a couple of Premier League reserve games, Stoke City versus Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa versus West Bromwich Albion, so that was immense.

“Michael was overwhelmed not only with the generosity, but also with the learning curve and the information that the Referees get.”

During their stay they joined in the debate with the Select Group Referees, looking at the big decisions made in the previous two weeks’ games. 

 “We became part of the Select Group as observers, but allowed to speak up - I’m not one for sitting back and not having a word!

“We had a great time and had a lot of stuff to take back to the Referees in New Zealand because we can’t produce information and the quality of DVD’s that ProZone do because we don’t have the money, facilities or the numbers.” They have also been able to see the referees in action during the F.A. Cup semi-finals at Wembley, Premier League and Football League matches.

They also visited ProZone, Acme Whistles, Worcestershire County FA and had a meeting with our Sports Psychologist, Professor Ian Maynard. 

Speaking about Maynard, Rod said: “He was most happy for Michael and I to receive all the information that he gets and sent it to us in New Zealand - and the fallout of that has been huge.

“He’s talked to the fitness trainer and he’s participated in all the fitness stuff which is great.”

They then took a surprise phone call inviting them to attend the Champions League game at Old Trafford to watch the Manchester United versus Arsenal game to round-off their busy trip.

We wish them a safe journey back home in the knowledge that our ties have been strengthened and friendships forged between our referees.

Lee Mason will take charge of the FA Youth Cup Final which will be played next month.
The referee, from Lancashire, was promoted to the Select Group list in 2006 and will take charge of the two-legged final with assistants Matt McLaughlin and Stuart Burt and Fourth Official Ian Smedley.
The dates and indeed teams are yet to be confirmed with the Semi-Finals of the competition yet to be completed.
Manchester City travel to Arsenal on April 22nd for their second leg match, trailing 2-1. Liverpool and Birmingham on the other hand get their tie underway on April 16th with the first leg at St Andrews, before the return leg takes place at Anfield on April 24th.