A FIFA funded Member Association Referees’ course has just successfully concluded in Tuana’imato, Samoa, with plans now in place for enhancing the level of refereeing for football in Samoa and the region.
The programme, according to FIFA and Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Refereeing Development Officer (RDO) Massimo Raveino, was approved by FIFA in 2007.
Due to recent disputes, Samoa has been out of the picture for some three years, but the setting up of a new administration – the Samoa Football Soccer Federation Normalisation Committee (SFSF-NC) – has seen a revival of the sport and an increase of football activities.
Thirty five interested participants registered to undergo the course. These participants were divided into two main groups: one group contained people with very little experience in football refereeing and the other consisted of people who have already acquired FIFA standards recognition, but who have not had any official review in the last three years.
Thus the main objective was to acquire and review the participant’s knowledge regarding laws of the game. Secondly, the training set out to ensure that the participants acquire abilities to manage the progress of matches and the behaviour of players during them.
Referee instructor Neil Polsso and Fitness Trainer Kader Touati assisted Raveino in the training. The pair were being assessed on this course, based on their selection out of a similar Member Association Referees’ course which took place in Auckland, New Zealand.
This week’s course was made up of various activities including: practical training, evaluation activities, fitness test analysis, handling of the whistle and sign-language during matches.
Raveino says that another important aim is to select some qualified people from this development course to go to Tonga in December to gain accreditation for FIFA and Oceania events. He also adds that it is pleasing to see Samoan women participating in the course and he hopes to see more of this from regional MAs in the future.
He says women in the region have a great future in football refereeing and pointed to the pre-selction of OFC referees Finau Vulivuli (FIJI), Jacqueline Stephenson (NZ) and Jovita Qilamasala (SOL) for possible involvement at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 as a prime example.
Certificates were distributed to all participants commemorating their attendance on Saturday night at a closing ceremony at the SFSF-NC headquarters at the JS Blatter Complex in Tuana’imato.
Courtesy of SFSF-NC Media.