The Confédération Africaine de Football’s is hosting a four-day Young Referees course with 21 aspiring match officials from across the continent in Cairo, Egypt. This is part of CAF’s commitment to developing young referees in Africa.
Following the successful CAF African Schools Football Championship (ASFC) Continental Finals in Zanzibar, which was officiated by a team of young referees, CAF has invited the young match officials for an introductory Level Refereeing between 28 - 31 October. For the four-day gathering, the selected young match officials, aged between 15 and 21, and representing the top referees from the initial two CAF ASFC finals, will be under the tutelage of the CAF Refereeing Department, who will guide them in expanding their knowledge of the game. During their time in Cairo, the young boys and girls will have the unique opportunity of furthering their knowledge on various refereeing topics which include Integrity in football, Game Positioning, Game Management as well as an introductory course into VAR Basics amongst other topics.
The invitation of the young match officials forms part of the CAF Refereeing Department’s broader strategy of developing world class referees across Africa that are being developed to officiate at the highest level of the game both on the continent as well as globally. Working closely with CAF Refereeing Department, the CAF African Schools Football Championship’s Young Referees Programme has seen a total of 170 aspiring referees being afforded the unique opportunity of officiating at an international football competition. CAF Head of Refereeing and Football Technology, Noumandiez Desire Doue, said the programme is aimed at developing future referees in Africa. “The identification and nurturing of young referees is of utmost importance for CAF, as it forms part of the broader strategy of refereeing development. As evidently seen at the recent CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the standard of refereeing in Africa was globally applauded and through such programmes at grassroots level, we can only build from this growing pool of talented referees we have in Africa. These young referees, taking part in this course, are poised to become the future elite referees of CAF, laying the foundation for their continued growth and success,” said Doue.
For the CAF African Schools Football Championship Zonal Qualifiers, the CAF Refereeing Department has extended an invitation for each participating nation to travel with one referee, where the most promising candidates will be selected by the CAF Refereeing Department to form part of the officiating team for the upcoming Continental Finals. This innovation will ensure that aspiring referees - both boys and girls are exposed to the demands of international competitions, while also helping them improve their refereeing capabilities from a young age.
