From December 7 to 11, 2020, the CONMEBOL Referees Committee carried out the “Talented Referees” project, dedicated to the development and support of young referees and those who have not yet obtained the FIFA badge.
The objective is to accelerate the process of development of the careers of referees, who are active in the First Division of their Member Association, and to raise the standard of refereeing quality in South American football. To access this course, the applicants completed the physical, technical and language requirements of CONMEBOL in order to be able to integrate in the future the list of international referees of their Member Association, such as participation in FIFA RAP courses, participation in the pre-season activities in their respective country, nomination to FIFA List.
This year, as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, the course was held for the first time virtually, with 77 participants divided into 43 men and 34 women. They were all evaluated by the CONMEBOL Referees Commttee on technical topics, video tests and tests with VAR analysis situations in simulators. “With this project we have trained several of our referees who later achieved the FIFA badge. Our applicants have all the tools and are aware of the requirements to reach this refereeing seat at the continental and world level”, stated Wilson Seneme, president of the CONMEBOL Referees Committee.
Those who are approved by FIFA will be part of the new list of international referees of CONMEBOL starting in 2021. This is one more step for CONMEBOL, through its Referees Committee, towards sports justice within the field of play, providing support with courses and initiatives that serve to train and always aim for refereeing excellence.
Source: CONMEBOL