A five-day basic refereeing course for the Banjul and Kanifing regions ended at the Football Hotel in Old Yundum on Sunday. The programme, organised by The Gambia Football Federation (GFF), brought together 23 participants, seven of which were women. The event is part of the FIFA Forward 2.0 programme for referees’ development, which will ensure 10 separate referees training each year for the period 2019 to 2021.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the President of the GFF, Mr. Lamin Kaba Bajo, expressed his delight with the turnout but was quick to frown at the gender imbalance. He challenged more women to venture into refereeing and other technical aspects of the game to close the gap in women football.
Mr. Bajo dilated on all facets of the game and the important role of the various stakeholders but went further to add that since it is referees that interprets the rules of the sport, to a certain extent, they have the potential to satisfy or dissatisfy all these stakeholders. He added that human errors are inevitable even after the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) but urged them to be sure before making any decision to minimise those errors.
He also spoke on the importance of physical fitness as a referee as a basic requirement, thus enjoining them to always ensure that they maintain their fitness. “The intermediate course will begin in a couple of months’ time and I’m looking forward to a 100% presence,” he said, in direct address to the participants. “FIFA badges are no longer seniority but based on merit. You must guard and retain the position of Papa Gassama and I want to see a minimum of two or three complete women panelists. Try to always keep your cool in the field of play and don’t react to any provocation and don’t be vindictive or take decisions based on vengeance.”
Speaking earlier, the General Secretary of the Federation, Mr. Lamin M. Jassey, said the importance that the GFF attaches to capacity building cannot be overemphasised. He commended the President for his commitment to all facets of football development, referees in particular, noting that he spent barely 10 hours in the country following his return from the AFCON qualifiers in Algeria but still finds time to attend the closing ceremony.
Bubaccar Jallow, the local instructor said Mr. Bajo is always termed as being referees bias because he has great concern for their development and progress. “I don’t want to be political but the President is always encouraging us and he is always thinking how to make Gambian referees better. A lot of money has been spent on this programme and you must justify that it is money spent wisely,” he added.
Alhaji Ebrima Faye, the Course Director, said this is mission accomplished for the Kaba-led leadership. He said a couple of years back, the leadership tasked themselves to train 200 people on basic refereeing across the length and breadth of the country and with this event, a total of 198 referees are trained nationwide and it would’ve been the targeted number if not for the late withdrawal of two participants from Banjul at the eleventh hour. He appealed to the President to further empower them by ensuring that the intermediate course starts in April 2019.
Reporting & Editing by Baboucarr Camara