The Albanian Football Federation (FSHF) has officially presented Bernardino González Vázquez as the new Director of its Refereeing Department, in a move aimed at strengthening and further developing refereeing in Albanian football.
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| Bernardino González Vázquez speaks during his presentation as the new Director of the Refereeing Department for the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF). The former La Liga referee and FIFA international official brings extensive European experience to the role, where he will oversee refereeing operations and lead the Refereeing Committee to develop and support Albanian referees [cite: The Albanian Football Federation (FSHF) has officially presented Bernardino González Vázquez as the new Director of its Refereeing Department, in a move aimed at strengthening and further developing refereeing in Albanian football., Former La Liga and FIFA International Referee Joins Albanian Football, He highlighted González Vázquez's extensive career, noting that he previously served as a La Liga referee in Spain and a FIFA international referee, while also officiating important matches in European competitions., According to Kastrati, González Vázquez's responsibilities will extend beyond his position as Director of the Refereeing Department. He will also play an important role in leading the Refereeing Committee, which includes the Appointment Commission, Evaluation Commission and Observation Commission., “The Key in Refereeing, and in Life, Is Work”, “My message to Albanian referees is very simple: I will be one of you and I will do my best so that you can grow, improve and develop.” |
González Vázquez brings extensive experience from the highest levels of Spanish and European refereeing to the FSHF structure.
Former La Liga and FIFA International Referee Joins Albanian Football
Introducing the new director, FSHF Vice President Geri Çipi emphasized the importance of refereeing to the quality and development of Albanian football.
“Refereeing is one of the most important pillars of football. A quality championship requires not only good players and coaches, but also referees who are prepared, independent, professional and capable of handling the pressure of high-level competition,” Çipi said.
He highlighted González Vázquez's extensive career, noting that he previously served as a La Liga referee in Spain and a FIFA international referee, while also officiating important matches in European competitions.
Among his notable achievements was refereeing the 2005 UEFA European Under-17 Championship final.
Çipi also emphasized González Vázquez's experience in managing and developing refereeing structures after ending his career on the pitch.
“This experience is precisely what we are looking to bring into a new phase of the development of Albanian refereeing,” Çipi said.
González Vázquez: “There Is a Lot of Talent in Albania”
Tahir Kastrati described the appointment as an important step toward improving the performance and quality of refereeing in Albania.
According to Kastrati, González Vázquez's responsibilities will extend beyond his position as Director of the Refereeing Department. He will also play an important role in leading the Refereeing Committee, which includes the Appointment Commission, Evaluation Commission and Observation Commission.
Kastrati also stressed the importance of cooperation between the Union of Albanian Football Referees (BASHF) and the FSHF Refereeing Department.
Speaking for the first time as FSHF Refereeing Director, González Vázquez thanked FSHF President Armand Duka and UEFA Head of Refereeing Roberto Rosetti for their trust and support.
“I am not here to talk about myself, because I believe that is not the most important thing. I am here to bring my experience in refereeing,” González Vázquez said.
He described his new position as a major challenge, which he accepted with enthusiasm, and said that positive feedback he had heard about the FSHF was also among the reasons he accepted the role.
“There is a lot of talent in Albania. My proposal is simple: to use my experience to help referees every day,” he said.
“The Key in Refereeing, and in Life, Is Work”
González Vázquez told Albanian referees that continuous work and development would be at the heart of his mission.
“The key in refereeing, but also in life, is work. In Spain we have a saying: the more you work, the luckier you are,” he said.
“My message to Albanian referees is very simple: I will be one of you and I will do my best so that you can grow, improve and develop.”
The new refereeing director also addressed the media and the wider football community, calling for human mistakes by referees to be treated responsibly and constructively.
“Referees make mistakes. They always have and they always will, because they are human. There is no reason to destroy a referee for one mistake,” González Vázquez said.
He stressed that football should serve as a positive example for younger generations and that players, coaches and referees share a responsibility to promote the values of sport throughout society.
“I can promise you two things: I will work hard and give everything to create credibility. I am very happy to be here,” González Vázquez concluded.