​The central referees in the CBF PRO category took part last week in an immersion program in Madrid, Spain, for a series of training sessions ahead of the return of the Brazilian Championship Série A and the Copa do Brasil. The schedule included physical and technical training under the coordination of FIFA and Spanish Football Federation instructors.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe activities were held at the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and were coordinated by Jean-Baptiste Bultynck, FIFA physical and technical refereeing analyst, Lada Rojc, FIFA technical refereeing instructor, Juan Carlos, refereeing instructor for the Spanish Football Federation, and Jorge Martinez, coordinator of the physical department of the Spanish Football Federation.Péricles Bassols, vice president of the Refereeing Commission of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), praised the training period at the RFEF and said the referees are returning even stronger for the rest of the Brazilian football season.“We leave here with an even greater sense of professionalism, not only on the part of the referees, but also as instructors and managers of this process. An immersion like this brings the group together, giving the referees a sense of belonging to something that had never existed before in refereeing. And during the training days, both on the field and in the auditorium, we could see their complete commitment. We made very positive use of the technical side, but there is added value in this immersion that perhaps we cannot measure right now, which is truly their connection to the professional process.”Péricles Bassols alongside Lada Rojc, FIFA technical refereeing instructor, in one of the theoretical classes at the RFEFCredits: Fabio Souza/ CBFAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementINVESTMENTThe initiative represents one of the most significant investments ever made by the CBF in the technical, physical, behavioral, and strategic development of Brazilian referees, reinforcing the entity’s commitment to operational excellence in refereeing and its integration with the best practices in world football.The work carried out at the Royal Spanish Football Federation sought to bring Brazilian refereeing closer to the leading centers of excellence in world football, promoting technical exchange with international instructors and specialists, as well as updating referee training and preparation methodologies.“This is not an immediate harvest, and it is very important to say that, because in no area of activity, of human activities, can you achieve quick results after investment, after attention, and after care. That comes with time. It makes a difference for this professional to be able to work with peace of mind and dedicate himself to improving his own performance without having to worry about something else, or without having to worry about the lack of this activity if he gets injured, if he has an unfortunate match or an unfortunate decisi