Only qualified ref can officiate soccer matches
The Sabah Football Association (Safa) stressed only qualified referees will be allowed to officiate matches in any football tournament in the state.
Safa Referee Committee chairman Datuk Juil Nuatim made the remark as he reminded organisers of football competitions to apply and get permission from the district referee chairman on the appointment of match officials.
Juil said the reason was that the State FA would not want the organisers to just simply pick any referees to officiate in their tournaments.
“We have referee chairmen at district level and organisers should not just pick any referee, it has to be done according to the rules. Organisers’ task is to form the tournament committee but when it comes to referees, they must refer to the state referee committee or district referee chairman.
“Referees in Sabah are under the Safa Referee Committee, which I chair, and we have also a FAM-certified referee development officer in Dr Sari (Tani).
“The committee as well as all the referees in Sabah have agreed that only qualified referees and recognised by Safa or FAM must be assigned to officiate football tournament in the state,” he said.
Juil said this after chairing the Safa Referee Committee meeting in Likas near here over the weekend. Juil, who is also Safa deputy president, added that football organisers too must utilise referees from their respective district.
He said if there is insufficient referee, only then they will be allowed to invite referees from other districts where they must write in to get the greenlight.
Meanwhile, Juil said the committee will be issuing a guidebook for the referees on their roles as well as to standardise the rates for referees in the state. He said it was one way to enhance the development of referees thus improving the standard of refereeing.
“A meeting will be held soon to discuss on the matter and hopefully the book will be out in a month,” he said.
We have referee chairmen at district level and organisers should not just pick any referee, it has to be done according to the rules.
Datuk Juil Nuatim