The golden rule among referees: the less you stand out, the better. Yet today we will focus the spotlight on Erik Lambrechts. Our compatriot made his debut in the Champions League yesterday and was immediately allowed to lead the Manchester City match. “Entering the field while singing the anthem was a special and proud moment,” Lambrechts tells his story.
Quiz question: which Belgian was at the kick-off of Manchester City-Young Boys yesterday?
And no, it wasn’t Jeremy Doku, who started on the bench.
The correct answer: Erik Lambrechts.
“Entering the field for the first time with the Champions League anthem in the background was a special moment,” the referee tells the story of his debut in the Champions League.
A proud moment for Lambrechts, who exchanged football for refereeing at the age of seventeen: “For a ref it is the same as for a player: getting an opportunity in the largest club competition in the world is a unique and proud moment to experience. “
At the age of 39, that moment became reality. In front of a full Etihad Stadium, Lambrechts whistled to kick off his Champions League career. “You felt it in everything: this competition is in a class of its own. I experienced it more intensely.”
If you get the chance to referee the Champions League, you have to be ready to referee every match.
Erik Lambrechts
A quiet debut was certainly not an option for Lambrechts, who immediately had Manchester City on his plate.
But our compatriot had little trouble with stage fright. “I looked forward to that match with a healthy amount of excitement, but if you get the chance to referee the Champions League, you have to be ready to referee every match.”
And he was done. Lambrechts did not hesitate when Sandro Lauper committed a foul on Matheus Nunes: penalty. And when the same Lauper made another serious mistake, Lambrechts showed a red card.
Two crucial moments, two right decisions.
The referee received praise afterwards and also felt it in his inbox: “Even in that area you feel that the Champions League is a competition in itself. The number of messages after the match were a multiple of what I normally receive. I also received messages from fellow referees, who nevertheless sympathized.”
Lambrechts draws red.
And so, in minute eighty, Lambrechts again met old acquaintance Jeremy Doku on the field.
Although of course you have to run along when Doku threatens to start a sprint. And City’s sprint bomb did nothing to spare his compatriot: he actually completed six dribbles in just 10 minutes.
“For my assistants, this is often more difficult than for me,” he laughs. “They really have to be fully aware when a fast player starts sprinting.”
It will unlikely have been one of the bullet points on the tactical briefing the referees receive before the match.
“As a referee, you also sit with analysts in the days beforehand, who discuss the tactics of both teams. You have to know what you are getting into, right?”
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Report and points system
Erik Lambrechts joined a select club with Frank De Bleeckere and Lawrence Visser, who also refereed at Champions League level.
“It is certainly not easy to get here. You notice that in recent years few Belgian referees have been eligible. For me and my team, it was also a matter of years of dedicated dedication to the profession.”
Yet things suddenly seem to be going quickly for our compatriot. Last year he made his debut in the Europa League group stage, this year straight into the Champions League. This improvement is due to good reviews of his past matches.
“As a FIFA referee you start at the bottom of the ladder, but based on your performance you are given more and more new opportunities,” Lambrechts explains. “We receive a report after every match and you can move up in a kind of points system.”
After last night there will be an extra line behind the name Lambrechts.
2023-11-08 13:48:35
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