A weeklong Basic Training Course for Regional Referee's organised by the Gambia Football Association (GFA), in collaboration with FIFA, yesterday Thursday 27th May 2010 kicked-off at the National Technical Training Centre in Yundum.
The training course brought together a handsome number of twenty-five participants from the regions.
The FIFA sanctioned course for the regional referee’s is being directed by Messrs Joseph Lamptey Wellington from Ghana, Sidi Bekaye Magassa a FIFA Referee Development Officer from Mali and Mademba Mbacke from the sister Republic of Senegal.
Speaking at the opening ceremony during the course, the second Vice-President of the Gambia Football Association (GFA) Lamin King Colley, who deputised for the President of (GFA), Seedy M.B. Kinteh, welcomed the Course Directors from Ghana, Senegal and Mali and also thanked FIFA through them for supporting the Gambia Football Association in the development and promotion of football in The Gambia.
He also said that just as players strive to play in top leagues, men and women in the middle know all too well that their performance are also under close scrutiny and they can only go far by working hard. He noted that the training course set aside for the referees from the regions would ensure that match officials are better prepared for future challenges.
He further said that various aspects of refereeing would be discussed and scrutinised with the aim of ensuring that the referees can perform to the best of their ability during the national league and other competitions, organised by the Gambia Football Association.
King Colley stated that the course is also aimed at enhancing the skills of regional and local referees in the association, and thus achieve consistent levels of refereeing in the country. The skills, he added, include refereeing knowledge and understanding of the laws of the game, tactical knowledge, match control and the referee's physical fitness.
Other speakers included messrs Joseph Lamptey Wellington, one of the course directors, Malang Jassey, the Director of Minister of Youths and Sports, Alhagie Omar Sey, the former President of the Gambia Football Association and Jammeh Bojang, the Secretary-General of the Gambia Football Association (GFA).
