Referees: Delvecchio in Viareggio for EURO U20 Beach Soccer, quartet appointed in Andorran league

Last weekend was an intense and demanding one for ASA-affiliated football and beach soccer match officials, who were involved in appointments outside San Marino. FIFA beach soccer referee Raffaele Delvecchio, recently promoted to the Elite refereeing category, took part in the inaugural edition of the EURO U20 Beach Soccer Cup, staged in Viareggio from 23 to 26 April. The tournament format, which drew widespread praise for the quality shown by the teams and the overall organisational level, featured the youth national teams of Belgium, Czechia, England, Italy, Portugal and Spain. At the end of the two groups of three, the semi-finals confirmed Iberian dominance: having both topped their respective groups with maximum points, Portugal and Spain went on to contest the final for the title. Italy finished third, losing to Portugal in the semi-finals and then defeating Czechia 8-2 in the third-place play-off. Raffaele Delvecchio refereed the match that decided the trophy, which ended in a comprehensive win for the Portuguese, who swept aside La Roja 9-3. The San Marino international had previously taken charge of Portugal–England (17-3) and England–Belgium (7-6).

A quartet of ASA referees and assistant referees, meanwhile, flew to Andorra, where they were appointed to four matches on Matchday 25 of the Primera Divisió. Last Saturday William Villa and Macaddino officiated UE Santa Coloma–FC Santa Coloma, a clash between the league’s second- and third-placed sides that ended goalless. That result was capitalised on in the subsequent match by Inter Club d’Escaldes, who extended their lead at the top to +3 thanks to a 5-3 victory over Ranger’s FC. This latter fixture was entrusted to referee Balzano, assisted by Marco Savorani. The four match officials, working throughout in cooperation with an equal number of Andorran colleagues, were also involved in Sunday’s later kick-offs, specifically: Atletic Club Escaldes–CE Carroi (3-0) and FC Ordino–Penya Encarnada d'Andorra (0-1). The experience in the Pyrenean state falls within the framework of the Referee Exchange Programme, which for several years has seen smaller European football associations collaborate through mutual exchanges of match officials in their respective leagues. Over the same just-ended weekend, an Andorran quartet was appointed to fixtures on the final matchday of the 2025-26 Campionato Sammarinese.