UEFA, CONMEBOL announce referee exchange program

ASUNCION - South American referees could officiate at Euro 2020 under a deal struck between European football governing body UEFA and its counterpart CONMEBOL on Wednesday.

The "enhanced collaboration" pact could also see European match officials taking charge of Copa Libertadores fixtures, the regional confederations said in a joint statement.

"Today's agreement marks a first step in allowing UEFA and CONMEBOL to closely cooperate so that we can share expertise and knowledge for the development of the game on both continents," UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said.

CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez, added that it was "just the beginning" of a closer alliance between the respective organizations.

In addition to a referee exchange program, UEFA and CONMEBOL will seek to stage intercontinental matches for both women's and men's football across all age groups, work on development strategies for women's football and establish shared criteria for coaches, the statement said.

The entities also agreed to cooperate in the area of elite youth player development programs, improve coaching and develop national scouting networks.

The announcement of the agreement followed a meeting of officials from both confederations at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.