The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) is hosting a five-day FIFA Member Association training course for young referees at Mpira Village in Blantyre as part of efforts to develop the next generation of match officials.
FAM Director of Operations Gomezgani Zakazaka officially opened the course on behalf of FAM President Fleetwood Haiya and urged the referees to work without fear or favour, while strictly following the Laws of the Game.
Zakazaka also warned the young referees against engaging in corruption, saying such practices could destroy their careers before they fully develop.
“Refereeing is a very difficult job because many referees face temptations from some team officials. We are warning these young referees to avoid corruption because it can destroy the future of their careers,” said Zakazaka.
He said the training is a special initiative championed by FAM President Haiya to ensure Malawi continues producing highly capable referees.
“Some referees who have served the game for a long time are retiring, so FAM saw it necessary to train young referees to ensure that the gap is not felt,” he said.
Zakazaka said the course is expected to sharpen the referees’ skills, improve their technical understanding of the Laws of the Game, assess their physical fitness and monitor how they perform their duties after the training.
One of the participants, Ruth Golden from Lilongwe, said the course will help young referees improve their understanding of the game and officiate matches with confidence.
“This training will greatly help us in executing our duties as referees so that we can work towards becoming excellent match officials,” she said.
Golden said referees sometimes face challenges from team officials and players who do not fully understand the laws.
“We face problems, especially from team managers and players, because we work according to the laws, which they sometimes disagree with because many do not know the rules of refereeing,” she added.
FIFA Technical Instructor Tamer Mahmoud from Egypt said the course is important as it helps young referees mature and understand how to handle themselves professionally.
Mahmoud said the participants will be taken through different areas, including conduct on the pitch and how to handle challenges they may face during matches.
The course is being facilitated by Mahmoud with support from Mark Zengo and local instructors Michael Makoto and Bernadette Kwiimbira.
The training has attracted 30 young referees under the age of 25 from across the country.
