Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Fukuoka: The AFC Project Future Referees Batch 2012’s Third Development Course in Japan drew to a close with resounding success on Monday.
The nine participants from eight Member Associations displayed a respectable level of refereeing that reflected the quality of the AFC referee development programme.
The course conducted at the Global Arena, Fukuoka, ran concurrently with the Sanix International Youth Soccer Tournament 2014. The course participants officiated in the tournament besides attending the regular practical and theoretical sessions.
Debriefing sessions were held on every game day and the performances of all the participants were assessed and feedback provided. The technical points of refereeing were discussed and the instructors pointed out areas for improvement. The participants were also exposed to training methods and key points on how they could improve their refereeing skills.
The participants also drew from the spirit of the Global Arena, the venue of the tournament and course which espoused certain values of human excellence such as ‘Personal Independence’, ‘Developing Friendship’ and ‘Challenging Yourself’.
The participants were reminded that personal conduct and time management is one’s own responsibility. They were encouraged to use the opportunity to develop friendships and share their experiences. They were told they should strive to achieve a higher standard of excellence.
Qatari Abdul Rahman Ali HA Al Marri was given the honour to referee in the final assisted by Venkatesh Ramachandran of India and Md Nazmul Huda of Bangladesh. The final between the U-17 Japan national team and J-league side Yokohama F. Marinos Youth was won by the latter 2-0.
“It was a tough game but I used my personality, fitness and appropriate positioning to control the match,” said Al Marri. “We have learned a lot from this course and it will help us become better referees.”
AFC Referee Instructor Ali Al Traifi of Saudi Arabia who was the main instructor in the course said the participants showed improvement from the day-to-day of the course and this was evident in the improvement of their performance throughout the tournament.
He said: “The referees should continue to develop themselves capitalising on their strengths and drawing from the experiences of others. They must always remember to be on their toes and constantly update their knowledge of the Laws of the Game.”
Together with Al Marri, Ramachandran and Huda in the course were Alexander George King (AUS), Huang Xiang CHN), Jin Jingyuan (CHN), Takeshi Asada (JPN), Zakri Nasser Hashil Al Hinaai (OMA) and Omar Mohamed Ahmed Hassan Al Ali (UAE).
Project Future Referees is a unique development programme for aspiring or young referees with talent from the Member Associations who are groomed by the AFC for a duration of two years to become Asia’s and world's top future referees.
The Third Development Course is the penultimate course in their programme with the last one scheduled to take place towards the end of the year during which they are expected to graduate from the comprehensive referee development programme.