Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 19, 2009 Sports
First of its kind in the world
By Franklin Wilson
The refereeing (FIFA & Local) pool in Guyana has once again been afforded the opportunity of strengthening and improving their knowledge base of the game.
This has been made possible through the efforts of FIFA based on request by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) for the second phase of the Referees Assistant Programme (RAP) which is being undertaken by a high profile group of FIFA Instructors.
The 8-day programme which commenced yesterday at the Zoom Inn Hotel, Albert and South Road, Georgetown, is being conducted by FIFA Referee Instructor – Peter Prendergast of Jamaica, FIFA Referee Fitness Instructor and FIFA FUTURO 111 Instructor – Merere Louis Gonzales and FIFA Referee Development Officer – Ramesh Ramdan of Trinidad & Tobago.
The Refereeing segment of the three-phase workshop will be held until Sunday, the Referees Instructor workshop will take place on Monday while on Tuesday and Wednesday the workshop for Referee Assessors will take centre stage.
Speaking with Kaieteur Sport after yesterday’s official opening, FIFA Referee Fitness Instructor and FIFA FUTURO 111 Instructor Merere Louis Gonzales said that Guyana has been one of the countries that have been offered and has taken the RAP Workshop before, among over 20 other Caribbean territories.
He said that while all 20 countries have not taken the first phase of the workshop, Guyana is into the second phase.
The experienced Instructor, who is no stranger to the Guyana situation, notes that Guyana‘s referees have doing very well within the Caribbean despite the constraints and challenges and this is evident by the appointments they {Referees} have been receiving to tournaments in the region.
“Because they are getting results, tangible results, proof of what they have been doing, FIFA needs to see this and that they have – it is based on this and on President Colin Klass’ request to FIFA that Guyana has been able to get the programme.”
Gonzales highlighted that this is the first one being done in the Caribbean and the world. “In that, you are having the first FUTURO 111 RAP course specifically, not only now for Member Associations (MA) referees but for MA Instructors and Assessors.”
The RAP programme is the brain child of FIFA’s Senior Vice President Austin ‘Jack’ Warner who is also President of CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF Secretary General Chuck Blazer.
This programme was formulated to deal with the issue of equity among referees around the world.
“The programme in itself, funded by FIFA is able to try and bring a little more balance to the interpretation to the laws of the game, to the fitness, instructing and assessing aspects in addition to the medical and administrative aspects.
So in itself it’s a programme that is geared to professionalize the environment in which the referees would work.” Gonzales pointed out.
Also an affluent member of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, Gonzales observed that referees are paid as professionals in Spain, Germany and England noting that in other parts of the world they are not so fortunate.
“So what we are aiming to achieve is that instead of trying to professionalize all the referees which is a little more difficult to do at this stage – we are aiming to professionalize the environment in which they work so stemming from that you can get the professionalization of the personnel stemming from the environment.”
Also attending yesterday’s official opening ceremony were General Secretary of the Guyana Football Federation Noel Adonis and President of the Guyana Football Referees Council (GRFC) Alfred King.
Adonis reminded the officials in his remarks that they all have specific roles to play in enhancing the overall standard of the game and this {Workshop} is one of the ways in strengthening and equipping them and the organization to fulfill that responsibility.
King in his remarks highlighted the consolidated efforts the GRFC and the GFF have been making over the past five (5) years to equip local officials.
“Our efforts over the years to lift the bar in terms of refereeing have been tremendous as we seek to enhance the growth and development of refereeing in Guyana.”
King, also a trained referee who now holds the esteemed office of Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, highlighted the fact that based on the investments the respective organizations have made they are now looking for returns on the investment.
He noted that referees needed to be fully committed and dedicated while striving to attain a high level of excellence on and off the field of play.
“You must make the best uses of these opportunities and the fact that you have quality and experienced facilitators in charge.”
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