#Sports

Retired referee Jallow aims to improve refereeing in Gambia

Jan 10, 2023, 1:08 PM | Article By: Arfang M.S. Camara

Retired Gambian referee Maodo Jallow has said that despite his retirement from officiating he would continue to contribute his quota towards improvement of refereeing in the country after his appointment into the Gambia Football Federation (GFF) Referees Committee.

Jallow announced his retirement from officiating over the weekend after officiating the curtain-raiser final between League champions, Hawks FC and FA Cup winners, Wallidan FC at the KG5 Mini-Stadium in Banjul.

“I will continue doing work related to refereeing because I have been appointed to serve on the Referees Committee by the Federation. I will continue to assist in improving the game,” said Mawdo Jallow.

He thanked GFF and Gambian referees, starting with Bakary Papa Gassama, for the surprised guard of honour accorded to him over the weekend.

“The guard of honour accorded to me shows how I am within the referee’s family. If my working relationship with them was not good, I would not have been accorded the guard of honour,” he said.

Maodo Jallow, who served as referee for about 26 years, said he learned a lot during his time as a referee, including the experience of travelling and officiating international matches.

He highlighted that the future of Gambian refereeing is bright for Gambian referees after having many FIFA referees compared to before.

Meanwhile, Maodo Jallow was joined in retirement by assistant referee Yaya Fanneh after they both officiated for more than two decades in active service.

They were both honoured with a standing ovation and presented with each a certificate, match ball and national team jersey.