De Bleeckere himself led numerous matches between 1994 and 2011 in the Belgian first division, but was also part of the international elite. In addition to around twenty Champions League matches, he has also been present in three major tournaments (2006 World Cup, 2008 European Championship and 2010 World Cup).
De Bleeckere makes this experience available to UEFA as a member of the “Referee Development Panel”. As deputy director of the professional arbitration department of URBSFA, he also tries to take Belgian arbitration to a higher level.
Next month De Bleeckere will be part of the “Referee Observers” team. They are former referees who will closely monitor, evaluate and rate the performance of Euro 2020 referees. They will provide advice and feedback to active referees.
Aged 54, De Bleeckere was, during the 2010 World Cup, the last Belgian referee present during a major championship (Euro or World). No Belgian referee was present during the following five major tournaments.
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