The three international volleyball referees, Marvic Micallef, Frankie Tanti and Nello Calleja, have all been appointed to officiate in a number of European Championship and European Cups’ matches during the first months of this year.

During the qualification group for the Girls Junior European Championships within the Small Countries Division of the European Volleyball Confederation, played at the Cottonera Sports Complex between 13 and 15 January, Malta was represented by Marvic Micallef. The other referees for this tournament were Andrea Constantinides (Cyprus), Alexander Brandstatter (Austria), John Swan (Scotland) and Ilaria Vagni (Italy).

Following this tournament, Micallef will be the first referee in an eighth final match of the CEV Ladies’ Challenge Cup which will be played during this week.

This match will see Iller Bankasi Ankara of Turkey facing the Romanian side CSU Tirgu Mures in the first leg of this home and away tie. For his match, Micallef will be accompanied by Petar Harizanov from Bulgaria.

Frankie Tanti will also be refereeing in an eighth final match, this time from the CEV Men’s Challenge Cup, early this month. He will be accompanying Omero Satanassi from Italy. Tanti’s match will be the first leg of the tie between French side Rennes Volley 35 and opponents Stroitel Minsk, representing Belarus.

At the beginning of January, Nello Calleja was nominated as one of the officials in a 16th final match from the same competition, the CEV Ladies’ Challenge Cup, this time round in Split, Croatia, between local team Zok Split 1700 and Lokomotiv Baku from Azerbaijan.

The latter were runners-up in the 2011 edition of the same competition when they lost in the final against compatriots Azerrail Baku.

The Azeri team won this match 3-0. Calleja was accompanied by Christophe Lecourt from France.